coast culture
A FOUNDATION
FOR INSPIRATION
How can a writer use an
existing novel to inspire his
or her own masterpiece?
That’s the subject Florence
author Michael Strelow
will address at the Sunday,
March 15, meeting of
Willamette Writers’ Coast
Chapter.
Strelow will share
the history of Herman
Melville’s “Moby Dick,”
then explain how that
book led to his own
contemporary novel based
on the possible discovery
of Melville’s original
manuscript, long thought
to have been lost in a fire
at his publisher, Harper
Brothers, in 1853.
Participants will then
be asked to explore ideas
sparked by their own
favorite novels. They should
come prepared to write.
Strelow’s first novel,
“The Greening of Ben
Brown” (2005) was a
finalist for the Ken Kesey
Novel Prize. His second,
“Henry: A Novel of Beer
and Love in the West”
(2014), was based on the
life of 19th Century brewer
and entrepreneur Henry
Weinhard. His other books
include the novels “Some
Assembly Required”
(2017), the academic
books Kesey and “An
Anthology of Northwest
Writing: 1900-1950,” and
the children’s books “The
Princess Gardener,” “The
Alyssa Chronicle” and
“Jake’s Book.”
Strelow taught in the
English Department of
Willamette University
from 1980 through 2015.
Sunday’s session, which
is free and open to all,
will run from 2 to 4 pm at
Newport Public Library, 35
NW Nye Street.
For more information,
go to http://
willamettewriters.com/
coast or Willamette
Writers Coast Chapter’s
Facebook page.
DAMIEN STENSON
Advice on getting it write
Bestselling author
Christa Yelich-Koth
will visit Lincoln City’s
Driftwood Public Library
this Saturday, March 14, to
answer questions about the
writing, editing, marketing
and publishing worlds.
Yelich-Koth’s most
recent book is “The Jade
Castle,” the first book in
the Land of Iyah cycle,
published last summer.
Yelich-Koth comes from
a varied educational
background, from Spanish-
immersion primary school,
to vocal music at an arts
high school where she
learned classical music
and opera, to a Bachelor
of Science degree in
Biology. She has always
had a love of working with
animals and found herself
most interested in marine
biology and entomology.
She has published five
novels to date, as well as a
graphic novel and a comic
book series. She has also
worked as a professional
editor for many years and
has been fortunate to work
with several bestselling
writers, both in the US and
Internationally.
Saturday’s presentation
will run from 1 to 2 pm at
Driftwood Public Library,
located on the second floor
at 801 SW Hwy. 101.
We’ve got some trad news
Rousing Irish trad band
Téada will take to the stage
this Sunday, March 15, for
the latest offering from
the Celtic Concert Series
at Lincoln City Cultural
Center.
A traditional band
with a truly worldwide
reach, Téada has appeared
as a frequent headliner
at major music festivals
throughout the US,
Canada, Mexico, Europe,
Africa, Russia, Israel and
Australia. Highlights
include a 30,000-capacity
stadium concert in
Brittany, along with
performances at Penang
World Music Festival in
Malaysia, Edmonton Folk
Festival in Canada, Harare
International Festival of
the Arts in Zimbabwe, and
Campeche International
Festival in Mexico. In 2014
the band performed to
40,000 people during an
extensive seven-week tour of
Japan and Taiwan.
Continuing to grow in
vision and popularity, Téada
recently welcomed a sixth
member to the line-up,
legendary West Kerry singer
and accordionist Séamus
Begley, winner of 2013
TG4 Traditional Singer of
the Year. The band recently
released a smashing new
album – “Ainneoin na
stoirme/In spite of the
storm” — on the Gael Linn
label.
Founded by Sligo fiddler
Oisín Mac Diarmada, Téada
first came together in 2001
to make an appearance
on the innovative TG4
television series “Flosc.” One
of Irish traditional music’s
leading exponents, Téada
is driven by a fascination
for the timeless, expressive
force of music inherited
from previous generations
of musicians. Irish Music
Magazine describes the
band as “at the cutting edge
of the next generation of
Irish musicians…with a
fierce familiarity with the
old ways.”
Sunday’s concert
will start at 2 pm in the
auditorium at the center,
540 NE Hwy. 101. Tickets,
$12 to $25, are available
at www.lincolncity-
culturalcenter.com or by
calling 541-994-9994.
oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • March 13, 2020 • 5