Over the Water

Outside, the Tyrrhenian Sea laps gently against old stones and Eduardo’s red hibiscus flowers close up for the night. I can hear distant strains of music bounce between the hills and imagine it’s coming from Da Giannino’s.

In these essays, thirteen writers capture the magic and mirage of islands. Octavia Bright remembers a formative trip to the fish-shaped island of Elba in Tuscany; Megan Nolan sees Manhattan anew after discovering the joys of wandering the city alone; Noreen Masud fl…