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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2015)
Katrina Porteous, of Beadnell, United Kingdom, attended the 17th annual FisherPoets Gathering last year after first learning of the event from reading a New York Times article. miss still you, Smitty). Maryna Ajaja, Erin Fristad, Billie Delaney and Annie Orr come down from Port Townsend, Washington. Mary Jacobs is up from Ophir, Oregon. The indom- itable author Irene Martin will be there from Skamokawa, Washington. Holly Hughes, Vic- ki Horton and Sue Hanson are coming from Indianola, Olympia and Poulsbo, Washington. Margaret Doyle is coming from Orcas Island. One crowd favorite, Moe Bowstern, won’t be able to attend this year. “Moe has aggravat- ed an old football injury and needs to rest this year — everybody enjoys Moe,” says Broder- ick, “so it’s hard on her and hard on us, too, that we won’t see her on the schedule.” Alaskan folk musician and fisherpoet John Palmes, right, leads a songwriting workshop called at the Columbia River Maritime Museum during the 2014 Gathering. a love of the Columbia River and salmon with Dave and Alexa, who volunteered for several years to bring soul and music to our River- keeper events. We put together this concert to highlight poems and music by people who care about the river and want to protect it. Salmon DQGWKHSHRSOHZKR¿VKIRUWKHPDUHVXFKDQ important part of our region. “One of the greatest threats to the Columbia River estuary’s wetlands and endangered salm- on populations is the massive Oregon LNG ²OLTXH¿HGQDWXUDOJDVWHUPLQDO²SURSRVHG near Warrenton,” VandenHeuvel says. someone you don’t like, just stick around for ¿YHPLQXWHVDQG\RX¶OOKHDUVRPHRQHHOVH\RX might like better. The FisherPoets Gathering’s not a slam; it’s not about competition. It’s in- clusive.” And the truth of the matter is that now the FisherPoets Gathering is attracting its own stars. Gordon Bok, legendary maritime sing- er-songwriter from Maine, called up and asked if he could participate again this year. Accord- ing to Broderick, “That’s like having Mickey Mantle ask you if you want to hit some fungos with him.” (For you baseball non-fans: A fun- go is a ball the batter throws up and hits.) Jon Campbell from Narragansett, Rhode Is- The FisherPoets Anthology Another recent development is the compi- land, is another heavy hitter. It speaks volumes that the FisherPoets River politics ODWLRQRI¿VKHUSRHWU\LQWRDVHYHQYROXPHDQ- Fishing seems to be in the news a lot lately thology, “Anchored in Deep Water: The Fisher- Gathering is attracting such a wide audience ZKDWZLWKWKHSROLWLFVRI¿VKHULHVHFRORJ\DQG Poets Anthology.” The brain-child of Portland nationally. And as Broderick adds, “These conservation still a contentious topic. And our artist Chelsea Stephen, who combined her art guys are basically on their own dime. We ¿VKHUPHQDQGZRPHQDUHRQWKHIURQWOLQHVRI with the poetry, the anthology was edited in a give them a little gas money, but we can’t this debate. ODERURIORYHE\¿VKHUSRHW3DWULFN'L[RQ2YHU pay their way. We never started FPG to One of the features of this year’s Gather- 40 writers from the U.S., Canada and Japan are make money.” LQJZLOOEHWKHGXRRI$VWRULD¿VKHUSRHW'DYH represented. It also includes seven interviews Densmore and musician Alexa Wiley, who are ZLWK ¿VKHUPHQ DQG ZRPHQ 7KH DQWKRORJ\ A new genre :KHQ DVNHG LI ¿VKHUSRHWU\ KDV HYROYHG teaming up for a concert sponsored by Co- will be available at the FisherPoets Gathering lumbia Riverkeeper, an advocacy group. Hear Gearshack, located this year at 1144 Commer- over time, Broderick pauses. “I think what has evolved is that we have created a genre. them on stage at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Astoria cial St., all during the festival. Event Center. “There is a range of writing,” says Brod- 7KH ZRUG µ¿VKHUSRHW¶ EHORQJV WR WKH (QJOLVK “FisherPoets is an amazing and inspiring erick. “It’s a little uneven, but I like that. It’s language now. A lot of people are writing and event,” says Columbia Riverkeeper Executive WUXHWRWKHPLVVLRQRI¿VKHUSRHWU\,WGHOLYHUV performing and sharing about their work in Diretor Brett VandenHeuvel. “We’re united by the real stuff, just like our stages. If you hear WKH ¿VKLQJ LQGXVWU\ DQG WKHUH¶V DQ DXGLHQFH IRU¿VKHUSRHWU\WKDWGLGQ¶WH[LVWEHIRUH7KDW¶V where the evolution is happening.” Creating a new genre of poetry is histor- ic; it’s ground breaking. So we have our local team of FisherPoets Gathering founders and Where: Astoria, various venues volunteers to thank for putting the North Coast When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27, 28 and March 1 on the literary map. Broderick has to laugh when asked about Admission: $15 buttons are good for all venues and workshops all weekend long. Get yours at the his own work, “I haven’t a lot of time for that FPG Gearshack (1144 Commercial St.), in advance at Lucy’s Books (348 12th St.), KMUN’s Tillicum just now. The FisherPoets Gathering is my House (1445 Exchange St.), Wet Dog Cafe (foot of 11th Street), Old Town Framing (1287 Commer- poem. It’s an ethereal, living, unpredictable, cial St.), and during the Gathering at all venues. Students 18 and younger are free. authentic event. It’s poetry in action; it’s a cre- James and Julz Kasner, of Blodgett, perform on stage at the Wet Dog Cafe during the 2012 FisherPoets Gathering. FisherPoets Gathering ative act in and of itself.” Pamela Miller, of Eugene, receives help making a sheet bend knot from FisherPoets Gathering organizer Jon Broderick, a Bristol Bay fisherman, during a class on maritime knots called “Exactly right or horribly wrong?” at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. February 26, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 11