17 North Beach Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-1515
HAFT TIME
A quick chat with Nantucket Book Festival co-founder, Mary Haft.
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I’m a natural sharpshooter—a trait discovered when my son was training for his mission as a Marine. He asked if I wanted to go with him to the shooting range. Thinking no but saying yes (I was clinging to every moment I could with my son, knowing deployment to Afghanistan was ahead), off we went. He asked if I wanted to shoot. Again, thinking no but saying yes—and having never shot a gun in my life—I was set up with the owner of the range. Protective headphones on, having watched the obligatory video and had instruction, I said ready. Everything in me was determined to make my Marine son proud. From the moment he made this momentous decision to go through Officer Candidates School, I was determined to be every bit as strong and courageous as he was. If he could be a Marine, I could be a Marine Mom. So, I brought all of that energy and determination to this target. When all the rounds were finished, I turned to the instructor/owner. He looked at me and said, “You’re a natural sharpshooter.”
What’s a book you’ve read more than three times and why?
A Wrinkle in Time. I was captivated by this book as a child, caught by its larger themes of fighting against the forces of evil, that the force of love could overpower the largest darkness and light could win. When I had children, I wanted them to feel the power of this book, so I read it to each of them. So, I read it four times. Reminds me of my favorite quote from Leonard Cohen: “There is a crack, there is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
What has been your biggest “pinch me” moment over the years of the Nantucket Book Festival?
That our festival has garnered national attention and that we have attracted extraordinary talent across all fields of writing. There are always show-stopping moments in which your heart breaks open to all the possibilities of what it means to be human. From Ishmael Beah, having survived being a child soldier and showing us resilience with his radiant spirit, to Min Jin Lee, holding all of us in tears with the power of her story. Too many moments to count.
Who remains at the top of your wish list as authors you’d like to see attend the festival?
Bono. A storyteller and a great humanitarian. Deeply spiritual, profoundly thoughtful, he brings the gift of his music and life through story. Having just seen his singular show in New York City, having Bono on island would be my passionate wish.
What book changed your life?
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. I read this book when I was eighteen, and this powerful exploration of the human experience of the Holocaust, enduring the unendurable, had a profound effect. Having been raised by parents who were both in medical fields, I spent my childhood working in hospitals and laboratories. (I am a thwarted doctor.) Since I was small, I have had an acute understanding of the fragility of life. An acute appreciation for the gift of life. Viktor Frankl reminds us that our human spirit is both resilient and indomitable. It is a gift to be alive.
What does Nantucket mean to you?
This island has a hold on me; I always say I am an urban creature. But my soul resides on Nantucket. John Shea and I have had these profound conversations on the ferry together, as both of us are leaning over the rail, throwing our pennies, loving this island. I feel so fortunate to have built a community of islanders over so many years. Wendy Hudson teases me, but there is no more effusive person than me when I run off that ferry and see her, Tim Ehrenberg, Elin Hilderbrand, Tharon Dunn, Suzanne Bennett, John Shea, our NBF executive director Kaley Kokomoor and so many others, including the librarians and teachers I have worked with for years. It’s what I wrote in my book: Beneath the facade of this beautiful resort beats the heart of a small town.
What’s your favorite Nantucket pastime?
It’s more my favorite Nantucket moments—which are always when I can have time with my husband and children and their loves, which now includes our littlest heart, our granddaughter. Each lives in a different city so these times are rare. Nantucket is our gathering place and holds my heart.
Mary Haft is the co-founder and president of the Nantucket Book Festival and Foundation and the author of Nantucket: Portrait of an American Town.
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