Poets of the Island: a Colloquium

The Nantucket Poetry Festival aims to honor the poetry that has made up the island since its time as a whaling community. Our 2026 program features a collection of those artists, who have continued the tradition and contribute to the vibrant literary community the island boasts today.

Check back in the next four weeks to see the Colloquium as it grows, and join our mailing list to recieve our full list of featured poets.

Related Events: 2026 Program

Find our local poets at the events listed below. View the full 2026 itinerary here.

An Evening Reading: Poets of the Island | Saturday, August 29th | 11 Orange Street — Unitarian Universalist Church | 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Closing Night: Reading and Open Mic at the Atheneum | 1 India Street — Nantucket Atheneum — Great Hall 2nd floor | 7:30 reading & 8:30 open mic

An elderly woman with gray hair, glasses, and a floral blue dress sits at a wooden table with a glass of water, silverware, a menu, and a plate. She wears yellow and orange necklaces and is smiling with her hand near her face.

Judy Belash

Judy Belash spent the last twenty four of her eighty eight years retired on Nantucket, after over thirty years practicing law in NYC (which, it is worth noting, did not inspire poetry writing).

Close-up of an elderly woman with white hair wearing glasses on her head, smiling outdoors with trees and branches in the background.

Sandy MacDonald

Sandy MacDonald started out as an editor (The Drama Review, Aphra, New Age Journal) and handled submissions at Houghton Mifflin for a decade while contributing to dozens of publications and writing three books on parenting and travel. Since 2005, she has mostly reviewed theater — for the BostonGlobe, Theatermania, and her Substack.

A young woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile, wearing a black blazer and white top, standing indoors with a blurred background.

Grace Manning

In her poetry, Grace Manning explores the concept of belonging through the disconnect that exists when one’s home isn’t defined by structure or established in childhood, but rather by a constantly changing and evolving ideal. A recent graduate of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, Manning draws inspiration from those who are living between countries and continents, using their voices and emotions to try and understand her own. Her poetry is motivated by her career as a humanitarian professional focusing on human rights, equality of education and the refugee crisis.

A woman and a young girl smiling outdoors, the woman hugging the girl, with trees, blue sky, and a house in the background.

Lucy McGowan

Lucy McGowan is an educator from Nantucket. She studied history and education at Grinnell College, taught English and Social Studies in Chicago Public Schools, and has boomeranged back to the island to raise her daughter. Lucy writes poetry to process grief and to linger in moments of joy and gratitude. 

Portrait of a young person with brown, wavy hair, wearing glasses and a black shirt, outdoors with a blurry background of sand and sky.

JohnCarl McGrady

JohnCarl is a writer and filmmaker who has lived on Nantucket his entire life. His films have been screened and won awards at festivals including the Nantucket Film Festival, Berkshire Student Film Festival, and Queen's World Film Festival. He currently works as a reporter for the Nantucket Current. He is not a vampire. Yet.

A smiling middle-aged man outdoors, wearing a scarf and jacket, with a blurred background of a house and trees.

Randall Brett

Brett’s poems have appeared in the I-70 Review and other journals, and in translation in Spanish, Croatian, and Icelandic. He divides his time between Nantucket and New York City.

Marley Hollen

Marley Hollen is a writer from Nantucket, Massachusetts. She is currently earning her undergraduate degree in English at Mount Holyoke College. You can find her poetry in the Eunoia Review, The Mount Holyoke Review, and others. Her first novel is in the works.