A Monhegan Novel

[Matt K]

As some of you may know, for a number of years I’ve been working on a novel set on Monhegan Island. Perhaps you saw me with my Mac laptop in the Black Duck, the Novelty, the Barnacle, the Library or one of the hotel lobbies, either working on the novel or on a history of the Monhegan House. Or maybe you saw me one of the several times I participated in poetry readings. (I seem to be most known for writing about mosquitos.)

The novel is titled MONHEGAN WINDOWS, and it’s done! It is being made available in a limited author's trade-paperback edition, which will be published soon, perhaps as early as mid-April.

Author: Matthew Kiell
Title: Monhegan Windows
Pages: 363 pp.
Projected publication date: mid-April 2009 (advance sales available)
Art: 24 b&w photos; 24 paintings (reproduced in b&w); 1 illustration
Price: $18.95
Link (preview 1st 40 pp/purchase): http://ridgewoodpublications.com/Ridgewood-BOOKS.html

There is no ISBN number for the book at this point. Presently, the distribution plan is solely selling it on Monhegan during the season and from my website.

The novel is not only a written story — in fact, two interwoven stories. The book includes two dozen photos with a windows theme; two dozen art works by more than a dozen Monhegan artists, reproduced with their generous permission; and a title page illustration by my daughter.


Let me present here the prefatory note that I include in the novel, so that people understand the nature of my work:

A THANK-YOU TO MONHEGAN’S
YEAR-ROUNDERS & SUMMER RESIDENTS

This is a thank-you to the year-rounders and summer residents of Monhegan Island, a very real island 10 miles off the midcoast of Maine south of Penobscot Bay. To anyone who has visited Monhegan, it is clear that this story is set in a very specific place. The entire geography — every store and restaurant, every village road, almost every public building, every trail, every cliff, every vista, every island and crag of rock that surrounds the main island — springs from reality.

That said, although one may spy the spirit of the population in this tale, I have fabricated the characters of this story almost entirely or created composites and individual people out of those I’ve known off-island. Only two characters are based on real people (both dead now more than 30 years) and named — Rockwell Kent and Ray Phillips — along with a few mentions of other historical people — the Wyeths and Zero Mostel.

Therefore, I beg the indulgence of those living on the island, who are rightfully possessive and protective of this special domain, for letting me borrow — perhaps some might say steal — their home and inhabit it with the creatures of my imagination.

[Matt K]

I note that, a bit more than a year ago, Nonno said, "Please, oh, please, don't identify yourself as 'someone who is writing a novel about Monhegan Island' That is the greatest offense."

Uh oh! Do I need to apologize?

[fish4bugs]

Back in the days when the Rope Shed was far more free wheeling, and after I had discovered Monhegan, I decided to write a book about the Island. This was some 12 years ago. I started coming to Monhegan in the winter to spend a week or so hiking and at the library researching everything about Monhegan. I have to say it was a wonderful experience to read and learn about the Island.....old Monhegan Press (the originals from the 20's and 30's), letters, photos, manuscripts(I recall specifically the Jackie and Edward's manuscript of how they drowned by Alta Ashley), books, minutes of original Monhegan Associates meetings, etc. You would be astounded at how much Monhegania there is in the library. Did you know about the 100 unit housing development that was proposed on the Island around 1900?
Well, one day I made the declaration on the Rope Shed that I was writing a book. The reaction from the residents and the regulars was fierce and direct. NO BOOK!....and don't ask me to tell you ANYTHING about the Island. That next summer when I was there, a summer resident pulled me aside and said to me that ".....if you want to write a book, first spend time here and get to know the people." Excellent advce, book or no book.....you know who you are and I thank you for that advice.
Island people are very different from mainland people. Their environment (physical and social) is very different from what those of us "from away" experience. It makes them, I think, a stronger and but more suspicious people. Not better or worse, just different. "Outsiders" are viewed with a jaundiced eye, and rightfully so.
Look at us. We want to write books about their home. We want to model our characters after them. We sing the praises of their home. We help bring more people to their Island. We help degrade their quality of life. We behave like idiots sometimes. On the other hand, we bring money to the Island and help residents make a living there. A real Jeckyl/Hyde number.
Try to understand the situation. If I lived there, I think I would be saying and doing the same thing about people that try to write books about the Island. You didn't do anything worng, you just stepped on a land mine.
Oh, and MY book? Someday when I retire I will dig the research out of a box and MAYBE do it. In the meantime I learned an enormous amount about the history of the Island. That alone was worth the effort.

[M Morgan]

No, Matt, you don't need to appoligize.

Would that the nay-sayers adopt Marjorie Mir's attitude . . .

"In the meantime, as always, I welcome new submissions." . . . from her post on 3/18/09

Why is it OK to write poetry but not books????

[Matt K]

I wasn’t really figuring I needed to apologize, though I have long known the view concerning the writing of a novel set on Monhegan.

It always seemed strange to me that artists can paint (hundreds of thousands!) of canvases (for more than a century!), poets (among them me) can wax lyrical and sometimes very personal, photographers can capture often incredibly intimate images of the island and its people, documentarians such as Elisabeth Harris can record the history, travel writers can regularly (and usually with a distorted romanticism or some other distortion) do features for magazines and newspapers (not just the regional publications, but the biggies such as the New York Times and National Geographic), and yet there is this supposed horror about works of fiction.

In one way it thrills me as a novelist to imagine fiction carries such power and influence. But it seems incongruous that it stands out in this way.

Link to my novel: http://ridgewoodpublications.com/MonheganWindows.html

• • • • • • • • •

As to Elisabeth Harris's documentary, "The Hermit of Manana," people shouldn't forget about it. If you don't know about it, or it's been a while, you should check http://thehermitofmanana.com/. And you can order it by e-mailing to thehermitofmanana@gmail.com.

[Matt K]

My novel, Monhegan Windows, is now available. You can buy it this summer on the island. Or you can buy it by going to:

http://ridgewoodpublications.com/MonheganWindows.html

There, you can preview the first 40+ pages of the book, as well as order the book online.

As I've noted before, the book includes 25 photographs (24 by me and 1 by Peter Boehmer) and reproductions of 24 Monhegan paintings. As the lineup of 15 artists is finalized, I can list all of the artists, and thank them all immensely for being part of the novel. They are, in alphabetical order w/ their websites (or the sites most closely tied to them):

•Robin Brisker . . . . . . . . . www.robinbrisker.com
•Kate Cheney Chappell . . . www.katechappellartspace.com
•Guy Corriero . . . . . . . . . www.guycorriero.com
•Richard Daskam . . . . . . . www.rickdaskam.blogspot.com
•Ann Trainor Domingue . . www.anntrainordomingue.com
•Joan Harlow . . . . . . . . . . www.joanharlow.com
•Brad Hendershot . . . . . . www.bradleyhendershot.com
•Robert Henri
•Alison Hill . . . . . . . . . . . www.alisonhill.net
•Pamela Simpson Lussier . www.davidlussiergallery.com
•Antonio Martino . . . . . . . www.newmangalleries.net/exhibitions
•Paul Niemiec, Jr. . . . . . . www.paulniemiec.com
•Joanne Scott
•Arline Simon . . . . . . . . . www.upstreamgallery.com
•Ted Tihansky . . . . . . . . . www.tedtihansky.com

[M Morgan]

I am in the process of reading 'Monhegan Windows'. How well Matt has captured the mystique of the Island . . . the almost pristine wilderness, the rocks, the headlands, the forest, the screeching gulls, as well as the hardy people who live and work there, the artists who paint there, the visitors who go there, and Monhegan's effect on all of them.

His well thought of use of pictures and paintings add a great deal to the charm of the book. His characters seem real, his descriptions of Island locations make it seem as if one is visiting Monhegan once again from the comfort of their reading chair.

Thank you Matt!

[R A Szostek]

Hi Marianne...glad to hear your feelings about the novel of Matt's......it's nice to have a another Monhegan related book, this time a novel, to look forward to reading!! yes indeed, thank you Matt!

also pleased to see some good reading material on the front page of our site here, having to do with the "Lobster Wars"....thanks to whomever put all that section together for us!! was that you Peter?

best to all...RA

[R A Szostek]

Below is what Marianne Morgan wrote a few weeks back regarding Monhegan Windows by Matt Kiell .

Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 98
Location: Western Pennsylvania
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:49 pm Post subject: Monhegan Windows

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am in the process of reading 'Monhegan Windows'. How well Matt has captured the mystique of the Island . . . the almost pristine wilderness, the rocks, the headlands, the forest, the screeching gulls, as well as the hardy people who live and work there, the artists who paint there, the visitors who go there, and Monhegan's effect on all of them.

His well thought of use of pictures and paintings add a great deal to the charm of the book. His characters seem real, his descriptions of Island locations make it seem as if one is visiting Monhegan once again from the comfort of their reading chair.

Thank you Matt!

END OF MARIANNE'S POST...

I now would like to add a little to that, since I am done reading it. I say a little, because Marianne has already captured much of how I felt about the book after reading it.

Physical appearance of the book is pleasing indeed, with the paintings and photos...

I felt, I assume because of my relationship with Monhegan, that it was more than just the setting of the tale be told, but became close to being one of the major characters itself. I am not sure if readers who have not been there will feel that, but probably will.

There were times in his story lines, of which there are two stories that interweave into the fabric of the whole experience, that I felt he covered within the characters much of what we all share as we live out "the human condition" and try to deal with our emotional selves and situations. Some might see a little of themselves here and there...I admit at first I had a little problem keeping the characters from the two stories straight, in what I used to call "my mind"...

The healing power of Monhegan is also apparent.

It was a good reading experience and one worth the time to do so.

Thank you Matt!

R A

[Matt K]

The summer season has started on Monhegan, and Monhegan Windows is available for sale on the island. You can ask for it at The Monhegan House or in The Novelty. On the island, it’s currently available nowhere else.

If you’re coming to Monhegan via Port Clyde, the Sea Star Shop (the Monhegan Boat Line ticket office) carries the novel as well.

Of course, if you won’t be making it to Monhegan soon (a sad thought indeed), the one way to buy the book is online at:

http://ridgewoodpublications.com/MonheganWindows.html
(The slightly different URL in my original post above still works too.)

I’ll be making it to The Monhegan House in mid-July to read from the book and sign copies. That will be before and/or after I participate in the Books & Blooms book fair, sponsored by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, at the Boothbay Railway Village on Saturday, July 11th.

[Matt K]

The dates are set for the readings/signings of Monhegan Windows at the Monhegan House. Exact times still to be determined:

• THURSDAY, JULY 9TH (evening)
• SUNDAY, JULY 12TH (probably mid-afternoon)

If you are on the island at either of those times, I hope you'll attend. If you won't be, but know someone who will be, do tell them.

I'll be arriving on Monhegan on the 7th and leaving on the 13th, with a break from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning to be one of 10 fiction authors among the 40 authors at the Books & Blooms book fair, sponsored by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, at the Boothbay Railway Village on Saturday, July 11th, noon-3 pm. So if you can get to that event instead of the book readings, I hope you will.

As always, to learn more about the book, including a couple of reviews already, check the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=61517497620&ref=ts

And/or for the 40+ page preview and ordering, go to:
http://ridgewoodpublications.com/MonheganWindows.html

[Matt K]

The dates are set for the readings/signings of Monhegan Windows at the Monhegan House. Exact times still to be determined:

• THURSDAY, JULY 9TH (evening)
• SUNDAY, JULY 12TH (probably mid-afternoon)

If you are on the island at either of those times, I hope you'll attend. If you won't be, but know someone who will be, do tell them.

I'll be arriving on Monhegan on the 7th and leaving on the 13th, with a break from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning to be one of 10 fiction authors among the 40 authors at the Books & Blooms book fair, sponsored by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, at the Boothbay Railway Village on Saturday, July 11th, noon-3 pm. So if you can get to that event instead of the book readings, I hope you will.

As always, to learn more about the book, including a couple of reviews already, check the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=61517497620&ref=ts

And/or for the 40+ page preview and ordering, go to:
http://ridgewoodpublications.com/MonheganWindows.html

[Matt K]

The dates are set for my reading from Monhegan Windows at the Monhegan House. Exact times on these dates still to be determined:

• THURSDAY, JULY 9TH (evening)
• SUNDAY, JULY 12TH (probably mid-afternoon)

If you are on the island at either of those times, I hope you'll attend. If you won't be, but know someone who will be, do tell them.

[Matt K]

It was a great pleasure to get the chance to do a couple of readings on Monhegan. The first reading had about two dozen people (even while competing with the first beautiful sunset in weeks); the second, about a dozen. It was especially fun to discover at the end of the second reading that one of those attending (with book in hand, not stones) was a descendent of one of the original three Monhegan families from the 18th century.

The novel is still available in just one place on the island -- the Novelty. (Appropriate, I guess.) Off-island, it's in the Sea Star Shop on the Port Clyde pier (Thanks, Amy!), and now in the four Sherman's bookstores, the Owl & Turtle in Camden, the Reading Corner and the Farnsworth Museum shop in Rockland, and Maine Coast Books in Damariscotta.

And I have to say, as has happened every time I've stepped off the ferry in the last decade, by the time I reached the top of the hill -- with Bob and Shadrach seated on their rock waving hello, as so often they've been -- it felt like I'd never left.

[Matt K]

Thought I'd report on how the book is doing. It seems to be selling! (Of course, we're talking within the interesting micro-world of self-publishing.) It's been doing well at the Novelty and at the Sea Star Shop on the Port Clyde pier. Plus, Sherman's has sold almost half of the six dozen copies they took in mid-July, and I've started discussing the idea of a series of readings/signings in their stores early next summer.

I also wanted to mention that there is a Facebook group page for the book:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=61517497620&ref=ts
You don't have to be a member of Facebook (a potential black hole of social networking) in order to read the page; but if you want to add a review or comment, you need to be a Facebook member and join the group.

There are a number of reviews and comments by readers of the book. Most still are from people with a tie to the island, but perspectives from outsiders are starting to appear.

The Facebook page also includes an album of the 25 photos I included in the novel, in their original color versions; for the book, they were printed in black & white.

I also got two book clubs (through the Meetup.com site) in the Chicago area to put the book on their rosters, with the added novelty that the author could join their discussion partway through. One met in late July, one in August, and in both I encountered enthusiastic readers. What a great experience to be able to discuss your book with people who've read it all the way through. Lots of interesting insights and questions, and a chance to see what worked and what didn't for readers who never heard of Monhegan before they picked up the book; mostly I discovered it seemed to work.

Oh, and I thought I'd comment, too, on something regarding self-publication versus more traditional publication. In late May, I took part in a panel discussion for the University of Chicago's Writer's Studio with a writer who created a tiny boutique press and Miles Harvey, who wrote the best seller, The Island of Lost Maps. Afterward, Mr. Harvey, whose work and success I greatly respect and envy, came up to me and said how envious in ways he was of my situation, in which I still had complete control of my work. And he was fascinated by how one can take the self-publishing route these days -- in a way that was really impossible even a few years ago.