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Mary Garvey
has always felt
close to the water
Fisherpoet Mary Garvey, of Long Beach,
Washington, has been involved and perform-
ing with Astoria’s FisherPoets Gathering
since its infancy.
In her own infancy and her formative
childhood years, Garvey had an intimate
closeness to rivers and seas, particularly the
Columbia River. Raised in Longview, Wash-
ington, for as far back as she can remember,
she’s been an avid nature lover. The Colum-
bia River and all that it provides was both her
playground and her family’s extended source
of livelihood.
Her dad was a postman with delivery
routes that wove along the banks of the riv-
er’s disappearing canneries and active lum-
ber mills. He also caught, smoked and sold
plentiful salmon.
An innate understanding of the waterway’s
many virtues, values and vices, both past and
present, are part of Garvey’s imprint.
“The Columbia River and its tributaries
are extremely important to me. Even though
in my youth most of the sides of the river
were owned by the mills and you had to go
out of town to see the river you lived on, it
made me stop and think about its power,”
Garvey said.
“Canneries are an era that’s gone by. I
remember going into can-
neries when I was 3 or 4. It
was exciting for a little girl,
though I’m sure if I ever did
that repetitive cannery work,
it wouldn’t be,” she said.
“Every so often when I’m
singing a song about canner-
ies, someone comes up and
shows me a scar.”
Spending most of her adult life on or close
to the water, she’s lived in the Paci¿ c 1orth-
west, on the East Coast, and in Canada’s oh-
so-far northeastern provinces of Labrador and
1ewfoundland. Her involvement in the ¿ sh-
eries industry found her at different times in
her life working with the 8niversity of 1ew-
F
Submitted photo by Pat Dixon
A longtime performer at the FisherPoets Gathering, Mary Garvey sings about local places and history.
foundland’s ¿ sheries’ research proMects ask her
about sea cucumbers) and whaling; observing
cannery workers; or in admissions at the Uni-
versity of Washington’s graduate program in its
School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Gar-
vey has always felt close to the water.
“Though I’m not a commercial ¿ sherman
or a poet, I think my history is why I get in-
vited to the FPG,” said Garvey.
Fortunately for FisherPo-
ets Gathering audiences, she
also has a knack for turning
her vast array of stories re-
lating to commercial ¿ shing
into song.
She will perform once
again at the Gathering Feb
26, 27 and 28 in Astoria.
“Mary Garvey is a really
remarkable, quirky person,” said Jon Brod-
erick, FisherPoets Gathering organizer and
performer. “On stage she casts a spell. With
her casual genuineness, it’s not unusual for
her to Must hum as though she’s lost in thought
for a second or two then resume her song. She
seems to sing like she speaks: without an in-
‘The Columbia River
and its tributaries
are extremely
important to me.’
8 | February 25, 2016 | coastweekend.com
strument, absolutely a cappella, kind of in that
Celtic tradition. It isn’t Celtic by any means,
but in that solo fashion. She’s Must fresh as a
breeze.”
She can play the ¿ ddle but says “not very
well.” She has an accordion, too, but consid-
ers it too loud to sing with.
“My music is like ¿ shing. <ou never know
what you’re going to reel in. It’s an honor to
be included in the FPG,” said Garvey in her
typically understated, genuine manner.
Hear Mary Garvey at the
FisherPoets Gathering
Friday: Garvey is the fi rst performer at the Columbian
Theater Friday night, kicking things off at 6 p.m. sharp
Saturday: She will emcee at the Fort George
Lovell Showroom with Rich Bard on Saturday
and perform at the start of the 8 p.m. set.
the arts
VISUAL ARTS • LITERATURE • THEATER • MUSIC & MORE
Story by MARILYN GILBAUGH