Coastal Life Tele Aadsen, Story by MARILYN GILBAUGH fi sherpoet I Sharing stories on stage and off If you pronounce Tele as “Tell- ah,” you’ve probably met Tele Aadsen before. Or maybe you’ve heard her perform at the Fish- erPoets Gathering. In 2012, the \HDUROG $DGVHQ ¿UVW WUDYHOHG south from Bellingham, Washing- ton, to Astoria to share her stories. %RUQ LQWR D ¿VKLQJ IDPLO\ LQ Sitka, Alaska, Aadsen’s early memories are of wide open waters, ¿VKLQJDQGZULWLQJ7KHWKUHHKDYH remained her constant compan- ions. From May to September, Aad- sen, Joel Brady-Power — the cap- WDLQ RI KHU KHDUW DQG KHU ¿VKLQJ partner for 11 years — and Bear, a large, black boat cat with atti- tude, can be found aboard the 43- foot troller Nerka. Out Hear her on the wa- perform ter until the ERDW¶V ÀDVK Tele Aadsen will freezer is emcee at the Wet Dog full of salm- Cafe on Friday, Feb. 27 on — maybe with Port Townsend a couple of fi sherpoet Wayne weeks at a Chimenti. Aadsen is time, maybe scheduled to read her a little longer, prose at 9 p.m. hopefully a little short- Saturday Feb. 28, er — they catch Aadsen read her ¿VK PRUH RI stories in the 7 o’clock ten than not hour at the Astoria in southeast Event Center. Alaskan wa- ters. When 4 | February 26, 2015 | coastweekend.com you make your living as a com- PHUFLDO¿VKHUPDQ$DGVHQKDVQR problem with the generic gender i.d.) it’s hands-on, heavy work. “We’re strong but broken by the end of September,” said Aadsen. A six-year break in 2001 took 7HOH IURP FRPPHUFLDO ¿VKLQJ and writing to a life on land. She earned a master’s in social work from the University of Washington and then worked on the streets of Seattle with homeless people who needed help. “Working crisis to crisis was a recipe for burnout. It’s the only time I can remember not writing. As my speaking voice emerged, my writing voice retreated. I re- WXUQHGWR$ODVNDDQGWR¿VKLQJVR happy to be back then and now,” said Aadsen. Linked to her initial FisherPo- ets Gathering 2012 appearance, there is — no surprise — a story VKH ORYHV WR WHOO ³7KDW ¿UVW QLJKW at the Baked Alaska restaurant, I was very frightened when getting up to tell my story,” Aadsen said. “Then I noticed two people in the audience seated two rows back. A warm-faced woman and the young man next to her were responding to what I was saying. Just seeing them there, being so receptive was a gift. I would go back to them and gather strength. I was appearing the next night at Fort George Brewery and again, there they were. Whether they knew it or not, they were now Submitted photo by Patrick Dixon Fisherpoet Tele Aadsen, of Bellingham, Wash- ington, reads a story during the FisherPoets Gathering. my go-to people. “I thought about them all year, EHWZHHQ WKDW ¿UVW DSSHDUDQFH DQG the next FisherPoets Gathering. They had supported me in a way they may not even have been aware of,” Aadsen said. “So, the QH[W \HDU , ZDV DW P\ ¿UVW YHQ ue, and they walked in. This is all to say, I was soon to learn that this mother and her son annually make the FisherPoets Gathering their own together-time. Here they were sharing with each other and DV ZHOO ZKHWKHU WKH\ ZHUH DZDUH of it or not) sharing with others. Their kind and generous support all came about for me because of the FisherPoets Gathering. Just being there makes you want to be involved in the magic.” The two people two rows back at the Baked Alaska that night Born into a fi shing family in Sitka, Alaska, Aadsen’s early memories are of wide open waters, fi shing and writing. The three have remained her constant companions. were Astoria’s LuAnne Farrah and her Seattle son, Chris. “In 2012 we were there to hear Jon Broderick and Jay Speakman’s music. They do such an awesome job,” Farrah recalled. “As it hap- SHQHG7HOHZDVWKH¿UVWVWRU\WHOOHU that night. She was kind of nervous, but she was presenting in such a warm and interesting way, drawing you into her story. We followed her throughout that weekend. “Since then she has really made a name for herself,” Farrah con- tinued. “She drew us in the very ¿UVWWLPHZHVDZKHUDQGFRQWLQXHV to. It’s just ‘hurrah for her’! And through it all, we’ve become good friends.” Tele Aadsen compares her writ- ing to a muscle that needs daily ex- HUFLVLQJVKHKDVDEORJ+RRNHG DZHEVLWHWHOHDDGVHQFRPVWRULHV to perfect, and a book in the works. ,QVHDVRQRURIIWKLVZRPDQ¿VKHU man has a world of words to share.