As Juli Morser and I bring “On the Verge” to a close, I want to share some impressions about our experience. It all started one day at Kelly Chevalier’s spin class, when a fellow cyclist told me about a book I had to read, a riches-to-rags memoir by a homeless man in Bremerton. She handed me her copy before I could fabricate a reason to refuse.

Thanksgiving 2010 was approaching, and I wanted to immerse myself in gratitude not guilt, so I let it languish a while. When I finally got around to reading “Breakfast at Sally’s,” I knew I’d found the catalyst I’d been seeking to engage the community in a conversation about economic disparity and personal isolation, as well as to highlight the critical work of the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness (IFCH).

I was gratified by how many Islanders participated in reading and discussing the book and its implications for the ways we address homelessness and homeless prevention locally. Vashon Bookshop hosted the author, Richard LeMieux, to a standing-room-only crowd, and at one point the library had more than 140 people on a wait list.

Welcome Vashon and Sustainable Vashon became strong supporters of efforts to keep the conversation going beyond the scope of the book, along with input from some creative Islanders, including Jeanne Dougherty, Karen Biondo, Kirsten Gagnaire and Dan Kaufman. As a result of those exchanges, Juli and I committed to write this series for The Beachcomber, based on interviews with Islanders we described as “living on the verge.”

We initially focused on people in economic distress, unemployed or underemployed, food bank clients and Vashon HouseHold dwellers. We wrote about their needs and the social services that had helped them. Our goal was to highlight stories that might touch us and remind us that a sense of belonging can be as elusive as a consistent paycheck.

We began to expand our thinking about what it means to live on the verge and realized that it included some artists, individuals with disabilities and their families, people of different cultures and languages, teenagers, single parents and those living in isolation, whether or not they were struggling financially. During the interviews, we began to look beyond needs and to notice strengths — internal fortitude, perseverance, creativity, sense of humor — as well as skills. We dug deeper and began to appreciate the gifts they offer to our community if only we acknowledge them: volunteerism, family cohesion, commitment to living simply and compassion for those less fortunate.

Being seen as an asset is a critical component of belonging. For those who’ve got a reserved seat at the table, it is sometimes difficult to relate to those who don’t. It can be tempting to assume it’s their fault rather than a circumstance of birth, socio-economics, language or age. It is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that we’re an all-inclusive island when sometimes we are not. A few folks who initially agreed to be interviewed later demurred, expressing concerns about personal exposure and possible criticism, not sure the risk was worth their desire to help others understand some of the common threads that bind, as well as the dissonance that leads to discord and rejection. Still, if any place has the potential to be all-out welcoming, it’s here on Vashon.

Juli and I are grateful for each story told, regardless of whether it ended up on these pages. We have been inspired by individual courage and selflessness. We were startled by some negative comments we received about people profiled and have tried to learn from them. We have valued the many positive remarks from readers, friends, acquaintances and strangers stopping us on the street, at Café Luna, in Thriftway, to thank us for bringing them closer to people they would not have known. More than anything we have been brought to tears by our storytellers’ feedback, especially those who said the articles had changed the way Island neighbors respond to them, truly engaging and including them for the first time.

Now, we are moving on to a new project. We’re putting together a chapbook based on these profiles as well as other writings from folks who’ve experienced life on the verge. If you’ve got a story to tell, let us know and we will help you tell it, whether through poetry, essay, art or additional interviews. We will put the word out through Vashon’s various grapevines when our booklet is ready for market. Proceeds from sales will go to IFCH, so please consider buying us out.

The table is set, and everyone is welcome, because on Vashon, we all belong.

— Janie Starr is a writer, activist and co-founder of Welcome Vashon.

To join Janie Starr and Juli Morser in their next project, contact Starr at starrboogie@earthink.net. To get involved with Welcome Vashon, go to www.welcomevashon.org. To donate or volunteer with IFCH, check out www.vashonifch.com.