Fishstock: A Celebration of Words and Music, May 15

Dear Fishtrap Friends,

I woke up the other morning with a vivid dream burning behind my eyelids. Was it Steve Einhorn, up on a stage in rainy, rural, upstate New York, playing the Star Spangled Banner on a ukelele, then lighting it on fire in front of a crowd of half a million Ukalaliens?

Or was it Steve and his partner Kate Power emceeing the fabulous Fishstock II at the historic Civic Auditorium in The Dalles on May 15, before an audience of, well, hundreds? Yes, it’s Fishstock time again – a celebration of words and music.

This year you can catch the legendary Rosalie Sorrels, whose recent album Strangers in Another Country, featuring songs by Utah Phillips, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009. The prolific Sorrels has recorded over 20 albums, and has written three books. An Idhao native who still lives in the log cabin her father built, she began her career as a folklorist in the 1950s. Studs Terkel wrote introductory liner notes for her albums; Robert Creeley wrote a poem about her. She was at the Newport Folk Festival in 1966, and the University of California at Santa Cruz has set up a Rosalie Sorrels Archive as part of its Beat Generation Archives.

Joining the Fishstock lineup will be Dan Maher, who, as host of NWPR's Inland Folk for two decades, has opened a window into the world of folk music, tinted with his own stories and anecdotes. And Dan is quite a performer in his own right. I still remember that concert in the old “Medical/Dental” building on Main Street in Enterprise (before it got turned into a law and CPA office), when we had the ceiling joists shaking as we sang along with Dan.

Steve and Kate probably won’t burn ukeleles on stage, but they will undoubtedly “build community with harmony, guitars, banjo and two mighty little ukuleles,” sharing a “rare elixir of spellbinding harmony, eloquent songwriting and seasoned musicianship.”

Then there are the writers.

We are pleased to welcome Robin Cody, author of the novel Ricochet River, considered one of the 100 essential “Oregon books,” and of the award-winning Voyage of a Summer Sun, an account of Cody's 82-day solo canoe trip down the Columbia River. His most recent book, from OSU Press, is Another Way The River Has: Taut True Tales from the Northwest, which collects Cody's finest nonfiction writings, many appearing for the first time in print.

Joining Robin will be Clem Starck, whose poems have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. He has given readings in San Francisco and throughout the Northwest and has been a featured author at FisherPoets Gathering in Astoria several times. The man has done a whole lot of different, interesting kinds of work, grist for the poetry mill. His books of poetry include the award-winning Journeyman's Wages, plus Studying Russian on Company Time, China Basin, and Traveling Incognito.

There you have it. A couple of the Pacific Northwest’s outstanding writers, along with a cadre of fine musicians. Toss in some art work, good food and drink, and the company of a bunch of like-minded folk, and you have Fishstock. May 15, more info and tickets ($25) available at www.fishstockoregon.net.

WRITING GROUPS

We have two new writing groups that are meeting twice a month here at Fishtrap’s Coffin House (now you know what that means, remember?). A poetry-only group meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, 7 pm. And an all-genres group meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, same time. Open to all, free, supportive, and friendly. Email info@fishtrap.org if you’re interested, and we’ll put you in touch with either or both groups.

FISHTRAP FRIENDS

Fishstock ain’t all that’s happening on the weekend of May 15. We’ve had Roberta Lavadour to Summer Fishtrap a couple of times, where she has offered bookbinding and book arts classes. She’s one of the most engaging instructors you’ll ever meet, and the stuff she makes and gets her students to make are works of art. In fact, some of her work resides at the Museum of Modern Art. Join the flourishing movement in hand binding of finely crafted books. Roberta's offering a class in Pendleton:

Introduction to Bookbinding, at the Pendleton Arts Center, with Roberta Lavadour, Saturday May 15, noon to 4:00 pm, and Sunday May 16, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. To sign up, or for more information, call 541-278-9201, or email classes@pendletonarts.org.

Charles Goodrich, our Outpost workshop instructor this year at Summer Fishtrap, was recently fectured on The Writer’s Almanac on NPR. Garrison Keillor read his poem, “Wild Geese,” and you can listen to it online at http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

It rained and snowed some today, and the weather forecast gossip is that we’re going to get 6-12" of snow in the next day or two. So it seems appropos to leave you with this poem that a local Fishtrapper sent to me. She thought it was too late in the season, but nature proved her wrong. Doesn’t it always?

WE DELIVER

Winter on the Wallowa waterway, sunny and cold and
All those rednecks and long waders in the river, silent for once.

Winter steelhead are coming. You can track migration by
the herds of dirty pickups and stockdogs parked and panting anywhichway.

It’s nearly noon. In a cloud of gravel and dust,
The faithful FedEx driver pulls his shiny white truck to a sudden stop --
Leaps out! Fishing rod in hand, he takes an uncharted break.

You could get lucky too: Lunchtime, winter, Minam canyon.

– Kathy Bowman

Happy Spring to all,

Rick Bombaci
Executive Director