At last, the newsletter resumes. We took a hiatus in the weeks leading up to Summer Fishtrap, but I'll be writing at least twice-monthly now as we head into fall and the calendar fills and ripens. Thanks for your patience as I settled into my new role here as Fishtrap's Interim Executive Director...
Summer Fishtrap 2010
We’re coming back to earth at the Fishtrap house after a glorious, spirited ride through the week of Summer Fishtrap, July 11-18. Those of you who had the chance to spend all or part of the week of readings, workshops and Gathering with us know how this year’s theme—"Matter and Spirit"—took us in some amazing directions, at times cracking us open… or cracking us up. The weather was perfect, the faculty inspired, the discussions deep, the readings lovely and provocative, and Gary Snyder all that we had hoped for and more. On Saturday night, he offered up a sampling of poetry from his earliest published work to recent poems in manuscript form. And he reminded us during his visit, through words and actions both, what clear thinking and good writing really mean. Gasho, Gary!
There is so much more to say about the experiences shared at the Wallowa Lake Camp and Billy Meadows Ranger Station this summer… look for our recap page on the Fishtrap website, which will be up soon and evolving over the next few weeks, with photos, participant and faculty comments, and other highlights. Thanks to all who supported the event with your participation, instruction, financial assistance, volunteer efforts, words of encouragement, and kind thoughts sent to us from afar. We could never pull Summer Fishtrap off without all of you and all of that.
A wonderful summary of the week through an outsider's lens was published in The Observer last Thursday. Thanks to Joyce Osterloh and her husband Ron for the thoughtful coverage.
Reminder to Summer Fishtrap instructors, special guests and participants: Please help us make the 2010 Fishtrap Anthology a rich reflection of the inspiration we all received at this Summer Fishtrap by sending your submissions to us, postmarked or email stamped by August 10. Anything written at or stimulated by Summer Fishtrap Workshops or the Gathering is appropriate. Please refer to the full submission guidelines for further details.
Save These Dates
Winter Fishtrap 2011: February 25-27, 2011 at the historic Wallowa Lake Lodge. Theme: “Getting Small.”
Summer Fishtrap 2011: July 10-17 at Wallowa Lake Camp & Resort. Theme to be announced this fall.
Film showing: The Practice of the Wild: A Conversation with Gary Snyder and Jim Harrison This film was a big hit at Summer Fishtrap recently. An Official Selection of this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival but not yet available to the general public, The Practice of the Wild came to Fishtrap courtesy of Summer Fishtrap faculty member Jack Shoemaker, one of several long-time friends and associates of Snyder interviewed in the film.
The film follows Snyder and novelist Jim Harrison (Dalva, Legends of the Fall) as the two old friends wander along the trails of the central California coast. They debate the pros and cons of everything from Google to Zen koans. The discussions are punctuated by archival materials and commentaries from Snyder's literary contemporaries, friends and intimates. The film runs just under an hour. A half hour of additional interviews not shown at Summer Fishtrap but available on the DVD will be included in this showing.
Please join us for this special screening of The Practice of the Wild on August 2, 7:30 pm, at the Fishtrap Coffin House, 400 E. Grant Street in Enterprise. This event is free, but donations are always appreciated. Popcorn and other light refreshments will be served.
For more background on the film, check out the San Francisco Film Festival blurb and the YouTube trailer.
Writing on the River with Annik Smith
August 26-31: For the second year, Fishtrap brings you Writing on the River. Spend five glorious days on the Snake River in the company of writer and film producer, Annick Smith, writing in the mornings and evenings and rafting down the river in between. As a participant in this river adventure, you'll be in the good hands of our friends Paul and Penny at Winding Waters River Expeditions. This event is a fundraiser for Fishtrap, so you can do what you love best and help Fishtrap stay afloat at the same time! Call Fishtrap at 541-426-3623 for more info or to register. (Space is filling fast and limited to 12, so don't delay.)
OHS Traveling Exhibit -- Oregon Is Indian Country: The Nine Federally Recognized Tribes of Oregon
Starting in September, Fishtrap and the Josephy Library at Fishtrap will co-host the Oregon Historical Society's free traveling exhibit entitled Oregon Is Indian Country, which provides text and historical and contemporary photographs about the nine Federally Recognized Tribes of Oregon. Themes include: The Land, Federal Indian Policies, and Traditions that Bind.
The exhibit will be installed on September 8 and 9 with special events to follow, and it will remain up for approximately one month. Dates, times and other details regarding the exhibit and related events will be included in our next newsletter and on the Fishtrap website.
Fishtrap writers and friends Pamela Steele and Bette Husted featured on OPB's "Think Out Loud"
Last Wednesday, July 21, Fishtrap hosted a session of Oregon Public Broadcasting's live call-in show "Think Out Loud" here at the Coffin House. It looked like a regular recording studio around here, with fancy microphones hooked to the big table in the main room and wires strung here and there. The featured guests were authors and Fishtrap friends Pamela Steele and Bette Husted. Their conversation with hosts Emily Harris and David Miller touched on each writer's relationship to place and people, and the role Fishtrap has played in their writing careers. If you missed the show or want to hear it again, you can listen to the archive and add your comments online. Please pass the link on to others who may or may not know about Fishtrap -- it's about as fine an introduction as you'll find.
We are grateful to Emily, David, Cassie, Julie, and the rest of the Think Out Loud team for taking the time to visit Eastern Oregon and for including Fishtrap in their swing through Wallowa County. And a huge congratulations and thank you to Pam and Bette for being here, for being so passionately real, and for all the good and beautiful words you have written about this special part of the world.
The Nez Perce Tribe's Precious Land Project in Joseph Creek was selected by National Geographic for inclusion in their "Tribal Lands" article in the August issue. It is a two-page spread with the picture and caption. Please let your friends know a picture from a portion of Wallowa County is featured in National Geographic in the August issue. Thanks to our friend Keith Lawrence for this news.
Farewell to Naomi
Finally, we bid farewell this week to our fabulous summer intern, Naomi Gibbs, who has been a delight to work with and without whom we might not have made it through Summer Fishtrap whole. She leaves us for her senior year at Whitman College, where she is majoring in Environmental Humanities under faculty advisor and Fishtrap friend, Don Snow. Naomi brought humor, honesty and energy to her role on our team. In addition to helping us at Summer Fishtrap, she created a guide to the businesses in Joseph and Enterprise and developed an extensive index of the many accomplishments of over 20 years of Fishtrap Fellows, which will be a valuable resource for years to come. Thank you for all that and more, Naomi! We will miss you.
Be well, keep writing, and stay in touch. The thunder is rolling here now...
Barbara Dills
Interim Executive Director
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