Welcome to Magine Nation!

Celebrating the ESVA and its people since 2018

Peelers and soft crabs in a float

Shed @ Bayford, Virginia

Harvesting knobby conchs

A day's work out on the Seaside

A boatload of conchs; we ain't catch nary one!

Webb's Island, Northampton County, VA

Featured Articles

Talkin' Backwards on the ESVA

Talkin' Backwards on the ESVA

One particularly interesting feature of the Eastern Shore dialect that is often associated with Tangier Island is “talking backwards.” Another name...

Ryan Webb makes guest appearance on Delmarva Life (Aug. 29)

On August 29, I appeared as a guest on WBOC's Delmarva Life program and briefly discussed the origins of some place names on Virginia's Eastern Sh...

How to use "I magine" and "magine" like an ESVA local

There are a few different ways that this shortened variant of imagine is used in conversation on the Eastern Shore. Sometimes it's a verb used the same way as imagine (i.e. to indicate a speaker’s assumption or belief about something). Magine can also mean yes or heck yeah. 

Shop for Magine merch on the Shore at:

Bailey's Bait and Tackle (Cape Charles)

Rayfield's Pharmacy (Cape Charles & Nassawadox)

The Great Machipongo Clam Shack (Nassawadox)

Western Auto (Exmore)

The Island House Restaurant (Wachapreague)

Linguist lends an ear to local dialects

Check out this article about Magine Nation from the August edition of Eastern Shore First written by Ted Shockley.