GREAT READS MA 2026: NOTHING MORE OF THIS LAND BOOK DISCUSSION

UUNB is partnering with the Whaling Museum for a book discussion sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.

The discussions take place over two sessions on Wednesday, August 19, at 11:30 AM in person in the Media Lab or online via Zoom, and in person on Thursday, September 10, at 5:30 PM in the Jacobs Family Gallery for engaging discussions about the 2026 Massachusetts Great Reads title Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity by Joseph Lee.

The book discussion will be facilitated by First Unitarian Church Administrator Jessica DeCicco-Carey.

Email admin@uunewbedford.com to reserve your free copy of the book (while supplies last).

Before Martha’s Vineyard became one of the most iconic vacation destinations in the country, it was home to the Wampanoag people. Today, as tourists flock to the idyllic beaches, the island has become increasingly unaffordable for tribal members, with nearly three-quarters now living off-island. Growing up Aquinnah Wampanoag, journalist Joseph Lee grappled with what this situation meant for his tribe, how the community can continue to grow, and more broadly, what it means to be Indigenous.

Registered participants will be invited to participate in an exclusive Q&A with Joseph Lee on September 29th at 6 PM. This discussion series is part of the 2026 Great Reads MA program, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.

Registration is required. Please click here to be taken to the Whaling Museum's registration page.

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About the Author

Joseph Lee is an Aquinnah Wampanoag writer based in New York City. He has an MFA from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at Mercy University. His writing has been published in The Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Vox, Electric Literature, High Country News, and more. He was a Margins Fellow at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and a Senior Indigenous Affairs Fellow at Grist. He has won multiple awards from the Indigenous Journalists Association for environmental coverage, health coverage, and beat reporting and was awarded a 2024 Silvers Grant for Work in Progress. Follow him on X at @JosephVLee and on Instagram at @Joseph.V.Lee.