Aviatrixes, Fellows, 100,000 books, party 'til the wolves howl

Hello Fishtrap Friends,

I’m just back from a lengthy road trip. My thanks to those of you who put me up – or put up with me – on my travels around the state. Among other things, I enjoyed listening to and meeting writers at the Nature of Words in Bend. A group of students from Fishtrap’s Eastern Oregon Writers in Residence program in Chiloquin came up to eat pizza, listen to some readings, enjoy some time with Sherman Alexie, spontaneously read Matthew Dickman’s poetry out loud to one another, and go to a bookstore, where we helped them pick out some good stuff. Incidentally, there is a used bookstore in Chiloquin with 100,000 volumes, according to the proprietor, who showed me every one. I believe him.

Winter Fishtrap opened for registration on Monday, and is already about half full. So don’t delay if you’re thinking of joining Tony Vogt, Molly Gloss, and Ursula Le Guin for readings and discussion about “Learning from Women.” I think they’re going to tie me to the mast and take the wax out of my ears for this one. Go to www.fishtrap.org/winter.shtml to register.

We are now accepting Fellowship submissions for Summer Fishtrap. A Fellowship provides you with a free workshop, participation in the Gathering, a special spot during open mike readings, food and lodging, and a modest travel stipend. It’s a very fair, blind judging process. And it’s FREE. So send us a sample of your best writing! Deadline for submissions is February 1, 2010. Go to www.fishtrap.org/fellows.shtml for full details.

Fishtrap’s annual Pretty Good Book Sale will be happening on Saturday, December 5, from 8 am to 3 pm. Here’s your chance to pick up good literature at bargain basement prices.

If you’re looking for a new book, consider Outpost: Voices from the Meadow, with writing and photography by participants in last summer’s Outpost workshop, which occurred during Summer Fishtrap. You can view and buy it online at http://www.blurb.com/books/909290. Thanks to workshop participant Don Witten for this labor of love, and to all who contributed.

Anne and Jim Shelly of Fireworks Pottery are graciously offering a holiday sale of their very fine clay art as a holiday fundraiser for Fishtrap. And, in the finest Wallowa County tradition, the sale will segue into a community potluck, starting at 4:30. Mark it on your calendar: Saturday, December 12th, “from noon til the wolves howl,” says Anne. See more of their lovely work at http://www.fireworksclayart.com/. Yes, but where are they in REAL space? Go 1.3 miles past the Grange Hall up Hurricane Creek Road, and they’re just past two old log miner’s cabins. Turn right at the light.

FISHTRAP FRIENDS

If you’re anywhere close to Enterprise, you really need to come listen to Heidi Muller and Dan Maher, who are embarking on their Good Road 20th Anniversary Tour to celebrate the years that Dan has used Heidi’s song “Good Road” as his theme song for the Inland Folk radio show. Join Heidi and Dan at the Fishtrap House on Monday, November 23, at 7 pm for a mere $10 donation. Expect a round-robin sharing of solos, duets and stories. Bob Webb will join them for other concerts in December. For the entire tour schedule, visit http://www.heidimuller.com/.

That's it until after Thanksgiving! Remember to give thanks!

Cheers,

Rick Bombaci, Executive Director

Stirring up pots with Fishtrap alchemy

Hello Fishtrap Friends,

A long one this week, because I’ll be on the road for a while. But there’s good stuff here, even all the way at the bottom, so read on!

Molto bene! An SRO crowd jammed Lear’s restaurant in Enterprise for an Italian dinner fundraiser for Fishtrap College, which brings college-level composition and literature courses to adults and high school students in Wallowa County. Over 70 people enjoyed spaghetti con insalata e pane, e un po’ di vino rosso. The only rough spot in the evening was my singing – or singeing – of “That’s Amore.” Dino has nothing to worry about. But I did sing – hey, everybody sang – with feeling. Thanks to Steve and Kathy Lear, all you volunteers, and everyone who came to enjoy the evening.

I’m heading off to the Nature of Words in Bend for a few days, then will be rendezvousing with Laura Gamache and about 30 students from Chiloquin High School. Laura is one of several talented and dedicated writers and teachers who have participated in Fishtrap’s Eastern Oregon Writers in Residence (EOWIR) program, now three years old. This is Laura’s second year at Chiloquin, which is located about 20 miles north of Klamath Falls. Like Ellie Belew (http://www.elliebelew.com/), the feisty Washington writer who inaugurated the Fishtrap residency there in 2007, Laura will spend 9 weeks teaching in the school, offering workshops to adults, arranging for public readings and other events, and just generally stirring up the literary pot. In future emails, I’ll share a little about other locations where the EOWIR program is happening.

The Imnaha Writers’ Retreat is over for this year. Think of joining us next April or October down in the canyon country. It’s a fine place to spend a week or more getting a lot of writing done.

Winter Fishtrap brochures have gone out. Our presenters will be Ursula Le Guin, Molly Gloss, and Tony Vogt, on the theme of “Learning from Women,” February 19-21, 2010. See www.fishtrap.org/winter.shtml for more details. Registration opens November 17. Go to www.fishtrap.org/scholarships.shtml, for scholarship information and to download a PDF with complete instructions. WE MUST HAVE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS IN HAND BY NOVEMBER 15.

A final shameless plug for a slide show I’ll be giving about an 800 mile hike I took through the Canadian Rockies last year. Wednesday, November 11, at the Mazamas, 527 SE 43rd, Portland, 7 pm. Free. “Where is the line between determination and madness?”

ANNOUNCEMENTS from FISHTRAP FRIENDS

Sometimes Fishtrap uses Stage One, located in downtown Enterprise, for events that are too big for our own Coffin House. Now Stage One needs help. Join local musicians Janis Carper, Rodd Ambroson, and Carolyn Lochert for an evening of refreshments, good company, and great music on Thursday, November 5, at 7 pm. Admission to this fundraiser is by $10 donation.

Heidi Muller and Dan Maher are embarking on their Good Road 20th Anniversary Tour to celebrate the years that Dan has used Heidi’s song “Good Road” as his theme song for the Inland Folk radio show. Join Heidi and Dan at the Fishtrap House on Monday, November 23, at 7 pm for a mere $10 donation. Expect a round-robin sharing of solos, duets and stories. Bob Webb will join them for other concerts in December. For the entire tour schedule, visit http://www.heidimuller.com/.

John Laursen kept a packed house enthralled last week with stunning photos and great stories from Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge 1867-1957. His tour continues:

Mon 11/16, Lakeview Library; Tues 11/17, Burns Library; Wed 11/18, Prineville Library; Thurs 11/19, Madras Library; Fri 11/20, Sisters, at the Paulina Springs Bookstore; Sat 11/21, Arlington Library and The Dalles Library; Wed 12/2, Hermiston Library; Thurs 12/3, Condon Library; Fri 12/4, Fossil, at the Methodist Fireside Room; and Sat 12/5, Moro Library.

Sheesh. Makes me tired.

Former Fishtrap Fellows send their greetings:

Eric Shaffer wrote to say, “I was one of the five fellows in Summer 2006, and my week there in the mountains working with Luis Urrea and the rest of the Fishtrap crew and attendees was one of the best experiences of my writing life.” Eric has just published his first novel, Burn & Learn, or Memoirs of the Cenozoic Era by Leaping Dog Press. And his fifth book of poetry, Lâahaina Noon, received an "Award of Excellence" in the Ka Palapala Po'okela Book Awards in Hawaii.

And Beverly Akerman, our one and only Canadian Fellow ever, sent kind words that I have to share: “Fishtrap has the most heart of any writing group I've had the pleasure to know. It has an ‘of, by, and for the people’ ambience that is unforgettable,” she wrote. “A piece I started because of a prompt by Luis Urrea–‘what the hands know’–just won first prize in Gemini Magazine's Flash Fiction Contest (http://www.gemini-magazine.com/)... I doubt I would have had the same experience anywhere else–the constellation of ages, ethnic backgrounds, the ex-marine seated next to the conscientious objector ... That’s alchemy, and it’s what Fishtrap does so well. ... All this to say thank you, once again, for what Fishtrap has and will continue to give me.”

Generous words from a 2008 Fishtrap Fellow. See some of Beverly’s writing at http://www.blueprintreview.de/22insight.htm and http://www.antigonishreview.com/bi-155-fall-08/155-fiction-prize2-beverly-akerman.html.

Write on!

Ricardo Bombacci