Renaissance House Retreat for Writers in Martha’s Vineyard Presents Mystery Writer Cynthia Riggs on July 23

Martha's Vineyard, MA, July 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Renaissance House: A Retreat for Writers and Other Artists in Martha's Vineyard will host a presentation on mystery writing by Cynthia Riggs, author of the Victoria Trumbull series, on Tuesday, July 23 at 7:30pm at the Renaissance House, 31 Pennacook Avenue in historic Oak Bluffs.

This is part of the Renaissance House Salon Series and free to the public. It’s sponsored by the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation For Artists In Need. Dessert is served after each salon.

Cynthia Riggs, has penned a popular series of murder mysteries about the adventures of a 92-year-old amateur sleuth named Victoria Trumbull. The title of each book in the series is named for a plant that grows on Martha’s Vineyard: "Deadly Nightshade," "The Cranefly Orchid Murders," "The Cemetery Yew," "Jack in the Pulpit," "The Paperwhite Narcissus" and "Indian Pipes." The Victoria Trumbull mystery series is published by St. Martin’s Press. Riggs is a 13th generation Martha’s Vineyard Islander. At the Renaissance House Salon, she will be discussing how to write a murder mystery.

Renaissance House: A Retreat for Writers and Other Artists in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard is celebrating its 12th anniversary by hosting special cultural workshops and presentations from June to August with some of the Island’s leading writers, poets and filmmakers.

Under the direction of Abigail McGrath, founder of the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation, the Renaissance House Salon Series has featured notable writers connected to Martha’s Vineyard. The writers have included: Susan Klein, Richard Greener, Jill Nelson, Dan Waters, Shana Mahaffey, Michael West,and Holly Nadler.

Upcoming speakers include:

Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 7:30 PM, Jessica Harris, author, scholar, food anthropologist

Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 7:30 PM, Len and Georgia Morris, documentary filmmakers

Sponsored by the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation, Renaissance House was named in honor of these two cousins who were writers during the Harlem Renaissance. West was the author of bestselling novel "The Wedding" and Johnson was a noted poet. Renaissance House was founded by Helene Johnson’s daughter, McGrath, an author, playwright and filmmaker. It provides writers and other artists with a subsidized retreat away from life's responsibilities and the space in which to create new works of art. This is one of the few retreats designed for issue-oriented writers, writers of color and writers of social justice.

“There are one week and two week retreats,” said McGrath. “Each day, artists commit several hours to creating their work. In the afternoon, they enjoy picnic box lunches and time to explore the island and gain inspiration from the environment. In the evening, the artists enjoy formal sit down dinners and our special Renaissance Salon Series with local artists.” Applications are available for September and October retreats.

The Renaissance House Salon Series takes place on Tuesday nights through August 6. These programs are free and open to the public. All salons are followed by dessert and coffee and will be filmed by Martha’s Vineyard TV.

Please RSVP for a reservation. For more information call Renaissance House at 917-747-0367 or Renaissancehse@aol.com. Please check out the website on www.renaissance-house-harlem.com