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
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south from Bellingham, Washing-
ton, to Astoria to share her stories.
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Sitka, Alaska, Aadsen’s early
memories are of wide open waters,
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remained her constant compan-
ions.
From May to September, Aad-
sen, Joel Brady-Power — the cap-
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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
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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
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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-
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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
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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-
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happy to be back then and now,”
said Aadsen.
Linked to her initial FisherPo-
ets Gathering 2012 appearance,
there is — no surprise — a story
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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,
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the next FisherPoets Gathering.
They had supported me in a way
they may not even have been
aware of,” Aadsen said. “So, the
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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
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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-
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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
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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-
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to perfect, and a book in the works.
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man has a world of words to share.