Across the world (halfway)
England poet to perform at
FisherPoets Gathering
A poem by Porteous
Porteous’ piece is written in the Northum-
brian dialect. It is about salmon fi shing (now
banned on the Northumberland Coast) and
the tension between recreational and small-
scale traditional fi shing.
BY CAITLIN SEYFRIED
Halfway around the world in Nor-
thumberland, England, poet Katrina
Porteous looks out her window to the
North Sea. Porteous, whose work centers
around sense of place, has spent decades
exploring the lives and culture of fishers.
“I am a poet by profession … I do a
little bit of teaching, some journalism
and I write local history books, mostly
about fishing because that’s the culture
around here,” she said.
Porteous’ writing career led her to
learn about the FisherPoets Gather-
ing. In 2014, she traveled to Astoria to
read poetry and to develop a BBC radio
story with producer Julian May about the
gathering.
Porteous will be returning to the
FisherPoets Gathering virtually to read
poetry alongside dozens of veteran and
“green horn” nautical storytellers. The
virtual gathering this year will allow pre-
senters like Porteous to participate easily
from home. Her Saturday night time slot
(Pacific Time) will start around 4 a.m.
her local time.
“Proper fisherman’s hour! I’ll be
drinking coffee,” Porteous said.
Fishing as a way of life
Her journey into the world of fishing
culture began with a move to the Nor-
thumberland coast.
“Because I write about place, I
wanted to write about the sea. How do
I write about the sea? Talk to fisherman
and go fishing. They’re the ones that
know. I’d been to university, but I didn’t
know anything,” Porteous said.
She considers herself privileged to
have spent time out at sea with some of
the few remaining fishing families in the
village.
“It became apparent to me then that
this was something really special. The
community, the outlook, the relationship
Plenty Lang a Winter
By Katrina Porteous
Howway doon the harbour.
Gan off afore the dawn –
Plenty lang a winter
T’ lay abed aa’ morn.
Plenty lang a winter,
Naen salmon i’ the Bay,
An’ lang eneugh asleep, lad,
When your livin’s rived away;
When your livin’s rived away, lad,
An’ the big man greeds your keep.
Plenty lang a winter.
Lang enough asleep.
The Astorian
Katrina Porteous performs during a previous
FisherPoets Gathering.
to place, the tradition of it, it’s very old,”
Porteous said.
The Northumberland coast carries a
rich history and culture of fishing. How-
ever, similar to the North Coast, there
are also challenges to that way of life in
the form of development, larger com-
mercial competition, and regulations that
make small-scale and traditional forms
of fishing often impractical and unprof-
itable. In the ‘90s, Porteous learned from
fishermen that still fished, “not all that
Trevor Ermel
See Page 15
Porteous with a Northumbrian coble, a traditional fi shing boat.
N E W
E X H I B I T
3D Theater • Lightship Tour • Gift Store
OPEN DAILY 9:30 TO 5:00 • 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR
503.325.2323 • www.crmm.org
14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
T H E T W I N PA L A C E S O F T H E PA C I F I C