17
MIXED MEDIUM
THE ARTS AROUND
EASTERN OREGON
DECEMBER 1–8, 2021
Fishtrap Fireside goes live Friday, Dec. 3
Go! staff
E
David Laskin
Emrys Hobbs
NTERPRISE — A spe-
cial December episode
of Fishtrap Fireside goes
live online Friday, Dec. 3,
with readings from Wallowa
County writers and Fishtrap
friends: award-winning au-
thor David Laskin; educator
and children’s story writer
Evelyn Swart; and Enterprise
Junior High School student
Emrys Hobbs.
Anyone anywhere can
watch Fireside at www.
fishtrap.org and on Fishtrap’s
YouTube channel, whenever
they wish.
According to a press
release, Fishtrap Fireside
is a monthly reading series
designed to feature diverse
voices from local writers.
“I’m particularly excited
about this month’s lineup of
readers,” said Mike Midlo,
Fishtrap’s program director.
“The diversity of life expe-
riences and generations
represented in these writ-
ers should make for a great
program.”
December’s Fishtrap
Fireside is sponsored by Hur-
ricane Coffee Co.
DAVID LASKIN
Evelyn Swart
David Laskin has de-
voted the bulk of his literary
career to works of narrative
nonfiction about the lives
of ordinary people caught
up in events beyond their
control — be it catastrophic
weather, war, mass migra-
tion or genocide. Laskin’s
harrowing story of a deadly
1888 winter storm, “The
Children’s Blizzard,” was a
national bestseller that won
both the Washington State
Book Award and the Midwest
Booksellers Choice Award.
Laskin also won the Wash-
ington State Book Award for
“The Family,” the story of
three branches of his moth-
er’s family, and “The Long
Way Home,” the account of
12 European immigrants who
fought with the U.S. armed
forces in the First World War.
After decades of writing
nonfiction books and articles
for publications including
the New York Times, Wash-
ington Post, Wall Street
Journal and Smithson-
ian, Laskin switched to
fiction with his first novel,
“What Sammy Knew,”
published by Penguin
this past spring to rave
reviews. Laskin and his
wife, retired law professor
Kate O’Neill, spend sum-
mers in Wallowa County
and winters in Seattle. He
is currently working on his
second novel.
EVELYN SWART
Evelyn Swart is a for-
mer teacher, principal, su-
perintendent of schools,
state educational con-
sultant and teacher of
teachers. She is a proud
mother of three wonder-
ful citizens of the world
and grandmother of four
amazing people residing
in the states and abroad.
Swart has a major interest
in people and their positive
attitudes toward the planet’s
past, present and future.
She’s been a Wallowa County
resident and Fishtrap admirer
for 20 years and likes writing
stories for and about children
of all ages.
EMRYS HOBBS
Emrys Hobbs was born in
Wallowa County and enjoys
art, animals, reading, writ-
ing, music and being out-
doors. He hopes to someday
become a graphic novelist,
a teacher, an astronaut — or
all of the above. Meanwhile,
he is attending junior high in
FISHTRAP
FIRESIDE
December’s featured
readers are David Laskin,
Evelyn Swart, and Emrys
Hobbs.
The session goes live
Friday, Dec. 3. Join online
at www.fishtrap.org or
on Fishtrap’s YouTube
Channel.
Enterprise, hanging out with
his family as much as he can,
and working at getting better
at piano and pie crusts. He
feels lucky that Fishtrap has
been part of his life for as
long as he can remember.