2A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2017
Q&A
Foster’s passion for writing goes ‘beyond enjoyment’
‘I think that a passion has
to be challenging. ... But
if you’re really passionate
about it you’re going to
keep moving forward and
trying different things to
make it work.’
Former reporter
now works at
visitors bureau
By DAMIAN MULINIX
For EO Media Group
SEAVIEW, Wash. —
“Writing has always been a
huge part of my life. At times
it was the only thing I was
good at in school. I knew that
I wanted to focus on it,” said
Drew Foster over a cup of cof-
fee recently.
Originally from the Bay
Area of California, Foster
moved from San Jose to the
B ig I sland of Hawaii when
he was 14. It was around that
time that he started consider-
ing his future and began writ-
ing for his high school news-
paper, but it was short-lived.
“I was promptly asked to
leave that class because the
articles I wanted to write were
more ‘newsy’ than what they
had in mind,” he said.
It was wasn’t long before
he was volunteering at his
hometown paper, West Hawaii
Today. “I wanted to be around
the reporters, around the
action,” he said.
Instead, he was given the
menial job of digitizing micro-
fi lm, which soured him some.
“The publisher told me I’d
never work in newspapers,”
Drew Foster
communications coordinator at the
Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau
Damian Mulinix/For EO Media Group
Long Beach Peninsula Visi-
tors Bureau’s Drew Foster is
passionate about writing, es-
pecially narrative non fiction
Foster said. “I’d never have a
career. It was really satisfying
fi ve years later to prove him
wrong.”
Foster went on to work
for a series of publications,
including a Hawaiian high
school sports magazine and
the University of Hawaii ath-
letic department, before mov-
ing on to the staffs of a num-
ber of newspapers in the U.S
and south Asia.
“Wyoming, the eastern side
of Washington, I worked for
newspapers in Cambodia,” he
explained.
After returning to the
states, Foster found himself
at the Tri-City Herald in Ken-
newick, where he was one of
the writers dismissed during
a round of layoffs in 2014.
Unemployed for six months,
he began looking outside his
normal “box” for work and
found an ad for the recently
opened marketing commu-
nications coordinator at the
Long Beach Peninsula Visi-
tors Bureau.
“Six months had gone by
and I didn’t get any job offers.
And the job came up at the
visitors bureau in a place I’d
never heard of. It was a job I
really hadn’t considered,” he
said.
But he liked the look of
the place and the fact that he
would be doing a lot of things
he had enjoyed while working
as a newspaper writer.
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
72
55
56
Low clouds breaking and
smoky
Low clouds
ALMANAC
New
First
Aug 21
Coos Bay
56/68
Full
Aug 29
Sep 5
The Astoria Regatta Grand
Land Parade takes place at
noon Saturday in downtown
Astoria, and the Astoria Police
Department is closing down
several streets to let the partic-
ipants get ready.
The parade route runs along
Exchange Street from 16th
Street to Eighth Street; down
La Grande
58/97
Baker
49/93
Ontario
61/97
Bend
58/95
Burns
54/91
Klamath Falls
53/85
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Time
9:25 a.m.
9:37 p.m.
Low
-0.9 ft.
1.4 ft.
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
Hi
92
95
65
95
69
84
99
95
64
67
Today
Lo
49
58
56
57
57
53
68
61
53
56
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Hi
93
95
65
94
69
85
97
97
63
66
Wed.
Lo
49
58
55
58
57
54
69
60
53
56
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
91
100
93
97
96
72
95
96
93
102
Today
Lo
55
65
65
63
61
57
65
59
62
63
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Hi
92
101
95
96
97
73
95
95
95
103
Wed.
Lo
55
64
64
64
62
57
65
60
63
65
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
W
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c
s
t
s
s
s
pc
pc
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pc
s
s
pc
c
pc
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sh
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c
Hi
80
82
84
79
83
85
95
79
89
82
81
107
85
86
91
84
89
82
88
83
86
90
72
90
84
Wed.
Lo
70
65
65
56
64
63
74
60
77
62
65
82
67
72
80
69
76
67
71
63
67
67
59
63
66
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
t
s
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s
ents are Janean and Verne
Ferguson of Gaston and
Kerri and David Norton of
Sherwood.
CARLSON, Courtney and
WHITE, Brad, of Astoria, a
boy, Colson Robert White,
born at Columbia Memorial
Hospital. Grandparents are
Darren and Karen Carlson of
Astoria and Jack and Mylene
W hite of Clatskanie.
ing arrest, disorderly conduct
and interfering with a peace
offi cer. She allegedly assaulted
her boyfriend. Seaside Police
are investigating a similar
alleged incident with the same
victim from the previous night.
• At 5:22 p.m. Saturday,
Gregory Knutson, 55, of Sea-
side, was arrested by the Sea-
side Police Department on the
84000 block of U.S. High-
way 101 and charged with
fourth-degree assault and
harassment. He allegedly
struck his girlfriend.
ON THE RECORD
Assault
• At 6:44 a.m. Saturday,
Zalia Altorfer, 28, of Aloha,
was arrested by the Seaside
Police Department on the
700 block of South Colum-
bia Street and charged with
fourth-degree assault, resist-
LOTTERIES
WOLLENBECKER, Ruth
Janet, 80, of Astoria, died
in
Astoria.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary in
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Cannon Beach City Council,
5:30 p.m., work session, City
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Warrenton City Commission,
6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main
Ave.
Lewis & Clark Fire Depart-
ment Board, 7 p.m., main fi re
station, 34571 Highway 101
Business.
PACKAGE DEALS
APPLIANCE
AND HOME
FURNISHINGS
529 SE MARLIN, WARRENTON
503-861-0929
O VER
Mattresses, Furniture
3 A 0
RS
TSOP
C LA U
Y
C O NT
July 26, 2017
NORTON, Brittany and
Scott, of Knappa, a girl,
Makenna Leigh Norton, born
at Columbia Memorial Hos-
pital in Astoria. Grandpar-
Aug. 7, 2017
VANZANT,
Raymond
Scott, 41, of Warrenton, died in
Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay-
ton Mortuary in Astoria is in
charge of the arrangements.
APPLIANCE
YE
Seventeenth Street, from
Marine Drive to Frank-
lin Avenue, 18th Street from
Exchange to Franklin and
Franklin from 17th to 18th are
closed until an hour after the
parade ends, which should be
at approximately 2:30 p.m.
All cars and vehicles need
to be moved off the listed
streets; vehicles that are not
moved are subject to towing.
DEATHS
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
IN
Eighth to Duane Street; and
along Duane back to 16th.
Traffi c will be disrupted
throughout central downtown
beginning at about 8 a.m. At
8:30 a.m., Exchange is closed
between 23rd and 16th streets.
Columbia Memorial Hospi-
tal, its urgent care center and
the Park Medical Building are
accessible from Marine Drive
at 20th, 21st and 23rd streets.
BIRTHS
Lakeview
50/84
Ashland
67/96
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017
Astoria / Port Docks
Today
Lo
70
62
62
55
60
61
72
55
77
59
60
82
67
70
81
66
76
63
65
63
64
67
60
62
65
John Day
64/95
The Daily Astorian
Roseburg
63/96
Brookings
54/64
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Hi
76
71
83
78
85
84
93
75
89
80
79
105
86
85
93
83
90
80
85
80
84
87
72
89
82
Prineville
54/98
Lebanon
61/96
Medford
68/97
Tonight's Sky: M51, a system that consists of a
large, bright galaxy and a smaller, fainter companion,
will be just below the star that marks the Big Dip-
per's handle.
High
8.4 ft.
7.6 ft.
Pendleton
65/101
Salem
61/97
Newport
53/63
& More!
of your passion changed you
over time?
A: “It’s made me more of
a listener. And I have kind of
a quiet personality. Some peo-
ple might think I’m a bit aloof
or not paying attention, but I
think that it’s a lot of listening
and observation. I also learned
as a reporter when to shut up.
I know when to just be quiet
and let somebody talk. And I
think that really helps in writ-
ing, too. Just sit back and be
quiet and watch and listen and
let things come to you instead
of forcing the issue or driving
the conversation.”
Q: It’s sometimes hard to
‘justify’ the time for creative
pursuits?
A: “And that’s a whole
other can of worms. Justifying
the time. There’s a book called
‘On Writing’ by Stephen
King. Great, great book. And
he talks about treating cre-
ative writing like a job. If you
want to become a published
author, you create time to do
it every single day, like going
to work. And I really buy into
that. So if I don’t have the time
to set aside at least three hours
a night, four times a week,
than I almost don’t want to
be writing creatively. It just
doesn’t feel like it’s worth-
while. I mean, it takes time
to get warmed up and there
has to be consistency to it or
you lose the thread of what-
ever you’re writing about.
And man, it’s a lonely style of
life. I’m very thankful I have
a fi nance I want to spend time
with, instead of just sitting in
front of a laptop every sin-
gle night, banging away on a
keyboard.”
Roads will close for Regatta parade
The Dalles
67/104
Portland
65/95
UNDER THE SKY
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
Pleasant with clouds
breaking for some sun
Low clouds
Tillamook
56/73
Eugene
57/94
Sunset tonight ........................... 8:35 p.m.
Sunrise Wednesday .................... 6:07 a.m.
Moonrise today .......................... 9:14 p.m.
Moonset today ............................ 7:02 a.m.
Time
2:39 a.m.
3:46 p.m.
Low clouds and smoky
71
56
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
56/72
SUN AND MOON
Aug 14
SATURDAY
70
55
REGIONAL WEATHER
Astoria through Monday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 63°/57°
Normal high/low ........................... 69°/54°
Record high ............................ 87° in 1939
Record low ............................. 46° in 1946
Precipitation
Monday ............................................ 0.00"
Month to date ................................... 0.00"
Normal month to date ....................... 0.17"
Year to date .................................... 49.67"
Normal year to date ........................ 37.11"
Last
FRIDAY
71
56
And the move was a good
one, as he enters his third year
in the job later this month. In
that time Foster has integrated
himself into the community.
He’s engaged to marry Ilwaco
High School graduate Kady
Kirby this winter and has
started a small business on the
side, called Drawing Board
Creative Services .
“It’s Facebook market-
ing,” he said. “Originally my
idea was website content writ-
ing. Blogging and small publi-
cation writing for small busi-
nesses. It’s an extension of
wanting to be a writer.”
Q: You had told me pre-
viously that to you, “a pas-
sion is something that goes
beyond enjoyment.” What
did you mean by that?
A: “I think that a passion
has to be challenging. And
challenges aren’t always fun.
A passion is going to make
you uncomfortable at times. Is
going to frustrate you at times.
But if you’re really passion-
ate about it you’re going to
keep moving forward and try-
ing different things to make it
work. It keeps it interesting.”
Q: What challenges have
you faced in this pursuit?
A: “I took a couple years
off from journalism to try and
make it as a fi ction writer. To
try and make a living at it. And
I couldn’t do it, that’s why I
went back to journalism.”
Q: You told me previ-
ously that writing is what
makes you feel “accom-
plished and whole.” But also,
“it can never be conquered.”
When would you say writing
became this for you?
A: “It’s something that
probably happened when I
worked as a reporter. I real-
ized there are so many dif-
ferent ways to tell a story.
And if you ever get comfort-
able enough where you think,
‘M an, I’ve got this,’ you’re
selling yourself short. You’re
limiting yourself if you think
you already have it fi gured
out. You always have to leave
room for improvement.”
Q: You obviously take
writing very seriously, but
is it something that actually
brings you joy?
A: “Yeah it does. You
know, as a writer when you’re
nailing it, or when you’re on
to something good. When you
get that feeling, it’s exciting
and energizing. That’s what
drives me. I love that feeling.
Even if it’s something sim-
ple like Facebook market-
ing, if you put up a post with
those two concise sentences
that work really well with the
image and you start seeing the
engagement. You can kinda
get a little rush out of that too
— those little successes.”
Q: How has the pursuit
HOURS OPEN: MON-FRI 8-6 • SATURDAY 9-5 • SUNDAY 10-4
We Service What We Sell
WEDNESDAY
Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners, 6 p.m., Judge
Guy Boyington Building, 857
Commercial St.
Astoria School Board, 6:15
p.m., study session, 7:30 p.m.,
regular meeting, Capt. Robert
Gray School third-fl oor board-
room, 785 Alameda Ave.
Wickiup Water District Board,
6:30 p.m., 92648 Svensen Mar-
ket Road, Svensen.
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