2023 On-Site Poetry Contest Winner:
I Remember You
by Nels Ure
I remember you
In the smell of camel blues
Ugashik views of charcoal hues, the artificial scent of hazelnut coffee mate
I remember you
In the splash of a fish granted its wish, the crack of a net strung taut during stormy sets,
The purr of an idle engine ,
A whiff of exhaust
I remember you,
As I navigate these unchartered waters,
I call out your name,
your voice is gone, father
These tides are turbid,
The water is black,
an ocean of grief
giant waves crest aft
The loud hailer is silent,
As I weather this storm.
the safe harbor of your lessons
Are memories formed,
the current feels strong no matter where I go,
But a fleet I’ve found,
checking in on the radio
You left a backlash in my life’s net,
But I’ve been learning to mend it looking towards my next set.
I remember you
by Nels Ure
I remember you
In the smell of camel blues
Ugashik views of charcoal hues, the artificial scent of hazelnut coffee mate
I remember you
In the splash of a fish granted its wish, the crack of a net strung taut during stormy sets,
The purr of an idle engine ,
A whiff of exhaust
I remember you,
As I navigate these unchartered waters,
I call out your name,
your voice is gone, father
These tides are turbid,
The water is black,
an ocean of grief
giant waves crest aft
The loud hailer is silent,
As I weather this storm.
the safe harbor of your lessons
Are memories formed,
the current feels strong no matter where I go,
But a fleet I’ve found,
checking in on the radio
You left a backlash in my life’s net,
But I’ve been learning to mend it looking towards my next set.
I remember you
2023 FisherPoets Gathering
Special Events Schedule (updated 2/21)
Special Events Schedule (updated 2/21)
Friday, February 24
FisherPoets Gearshack 1154 Commercial St. Suite A (also accessible from Marine Drive)
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission buttons and fisherpoets’ chapbooks, CDs and art. Silent Auction opens. Bids close at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Rhyme Time with Jon Broderick.
12 noon. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Practice techniques to improve the cadence and melody of rhyming poetry so that your rhymers hang pretty as a new net.
From the Page to the Stage with Will Hornyak, Ron McDaniel and Clem Starck
2 p.m. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Grow more effective and confident on the stage. Learn good practices and methods for creating strong performances that reflect your own unique voice and style.
Open Mic
2 – 4 p.m. WineKraft Wine Bar
Everyone welcome. Drop in with friends and have a short go. Sign up on-site.
Annual FisherPoets Dance and Social
10 p.m. KALA
Music with DJ D’Fish.
FisherPoets at the Line, poetry slam
10 p.m. Columbian Theater
FisherPoets go cork for cork. The audience chooses the highliner.
Saturday, February 25
FisherPoets Gearshack
1154 Commercial St. Suite A (also accessible from Marine Drive)
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission buttons and fisherpoets’ chapbooks, CDs and art. Silent Auction closes at 4 p.m.
Speed Mug-Up and B.S. Session with Rob and Tiffani Seitz
9 a.m. South Bay Wild Fish House, 262 9th St
Coffee up, make new friends and share some quick stories as you make the rounds.
“Echo of the Waters” Remembering Celilo Falls with Ed Edmo and Nancy Cook.
10:30 a.m. CCC Patriot Hall Rm 207
Shoshone-Bannock poet, performer, traditional storyteller and lecturer on Northwest tribal culture Ed Edmo shares poetry, photos and conversation about native life on the Columbia River.
Knot Tying and Line Splicing with Dano Quinn
10:30 a.m. Pier 39
Learn a new skill. Once you know a bowline you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
Diddliest Catch: Songwriting Support Group with John Palmes, Lou Beaudry, Mary Garvey and Rich King
12 noon. Pier 39
Brainstorm ideas to make songwriting more fluent and fruitful as some of the Gathering’s favorite songwriters share what works for them and doesn’t.
Podcasting for Fisherpoets with Dan Kowalski of the Alaska Story Project
12 noon. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Investigate the convergence of the oral tradition and modern digital technology.
Dam removal: Successes, Challenges, Opportunities with Miles Johnson, Legal Director Columbia Riverkeeper
12 noon. CCC Patriot Hall Rm 206
Hear an update on efforts to restore wild salmon runs on the Snake and Klamath rivers.
Singing Circle with Mary Garvey, Mark Alan Lovewell and friends
1:30 p.m. Pier 39
Sing shanties and ballads along with Mary Garvey the Lower Columbia’s favorite singer and friends.
Memoir Writing with Pat Dixon author of Waiting to Deliver
1:30 p.m. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Discuss the nuts and bolts of scribing personal stories into the written word. Handy for those interested in creating a cherished piece of family history.
Progress Toward Healthy Oceans with Brad Warren of Global Ocean Health and Sarah Schumann of Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign
1:30 p.m. CCC Patriot Hall Rm 207
Learn of recent long-awaited progress in state and federal policies and in new technology to help fishermen and others build appropriate solutions to green house gas pollution.
Open Mic
2 – 4 p.m. WineKraft Wine Bar
Everyone welcome. Drop in with friends and have a short go. Sign up on-site.
Poetry and Sea Shanties with Duncan Berry, Mariah Warren, Meezy Hermansen and Maggie Bursch
2:30 p.m. RiverSea Gallery
Duncan Berry and friends perform amidst his All My Relations art show with its gyotaku direct impressions of coastal creatures.
Campbell’s Last Set with Jon Broderick, Jay Speakman, Rich King, Hobe Kytr, Dano Quinn, Holly Hughes, Billie Delaney, Moe Bowstern and others
3 p.m. Columbian Theater
It’s an annual. Honoring the ghosts of fisherpoets passed, those yet living celebrate the works of others whom the Gathering now misses and wants to remember.
Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wrangers
9 p.m. Columbian Theater
Another Final Farewell Concert as the band, ending the 9 p.m. session, continues playing until the Columbian throws them out.
Umpteenth Annual On-Site FisherPoetry Contest with MC Moe Bowstern
10 p.m. Liberty Theatre
The 2023 rules will be announced by MCs at evening venues during the Gathering. Everybody wearing a FPG button is eligible to complete. Got one? Have a go.
Singers’ Gathering
10 p.m. WineKraft
Didn’t get enough at the workshop this morning? Still feel like singing with friends? Stop in.
Sunday, February 26
FisherPoets Gathering Harmony Gospel Sing. Just for fun.
9 a.m. Columbian Theater
FisherPoets Gathering Farewell Mic
10 a.m. – noon Columbian Theater
A very brief farewell read from lots of lingering scheduled fisherpoets.
All Weekend
Visual Art and Other Exhibits
Northern Light, paintings by George Wilson
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Imogen Gallery
Serene landscapes, dream-like renditions where land, sky and water meet.
All My Relations, original prints by Duncan Berry
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. RiverSea Gallery
Reverent expressive prints from sea and land creatures of the Pacific Northwest coast.
Far-Flung Friends in the Fishing Industry, various artists
12 noon – 4 p.m. Astoria Visual Arts Gallery
Dioramas, fish-skin prints, photography, printmaking, all honoring the annual salmon harvest.
Hanthorn Cannery Museum
all day Pier 39
Self-guided tour of the oldest existing fish processing plant on the Columbia River.
FisherPoets Gearshack 1154 Commercial St. Suite A (also accessible from Marine Drive)
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission buttons and fisherpoets’ chapbooks, CDs and art. Silent Auction opens. Bids close at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Rhyme Time with Jon Broderick.
12 noon. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Practice techniques to improve the cadence and melody of rhyming poetry so that your rhymers hang pretty as a new net.
From the Page to the Stage with Will Hornyak, Ron McDaniel and Clem Starck
2 p.m. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Grow more effective and confident on the stage. Learn good practices and methods for creating strong performances that reflect your own unique voice and style.
Open Mic
2 – 4 p.m. WineKraft Wine Bar
Everyone welcome. Drop in with friends and have a short go. Sign up on-site.
Annual FisherPoets Dance and Social
10 p.m. KALA
Music with DJ D’Fish.
FisherPoets at the Line, poetry slam
10 p.m. Columbian Theater
FisherPoets go cork for cork. The audience chooses the highliner.
Saturday, February 25
FisherPoets Gearshack
1154 Commercial St. Suite A (also accessible from Marine Drive)
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission buttons and fisherpoets’ chapbooks, CDs and art. Silent Auction closes at 4 p.m.
Speed Mug-Up and B.S. Session with Rob and Tiffani Seitz
9 a.m. South Bay Wild Fish House, 262 9th St
Coffee up, make new friends and share some quick stories as you make the rounds.
“Echo of the Waters” Remembering Celilo Falls with Ed Edmo and Nancy Cook.
10:30 a.m. CCC Patriot Hall Rm 207
Shoshone-Bannock poet, performer, traditional storyteller and lecturer on Northwest tribal culture Ed Edmo shares poetry, photos and conversation about native life on the Columbia River.
Knot Tying and Line Splicing with Dano Quinn
10:30 a.m. Pier 39
Learn a new skill. Once you know a bowline you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
Diddliest Catch: Songwriting Support Group with John Palmes, Lou Beaudry, Mary Garvey and Rich King
12 noon. Pier 39
Brainstorm ideas to make songwriting more fluent and fruitful as some of the Gathering’s favorite songwriters share what works for them and doesn’t.
Podcasting for Fisherpoets with Dan Kowalski of the Alaska Story Project
12 noon. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Investigate the convergence of the oral tradition and modern digital technology.
Dam removal: Successes, Challenges, Opportunities with Miles Johnson, Legal Director Columbia Riverkeeper
12 noon. CCC Patriot Hall Rm 206
Hear an update on efforts to restore wild salmon runs on the Snake and Klamath rivers.
Singing Circle with Mary Garvey, Mark Alan Lovewell and friends
1:30 p.m. Pier 39
Sing shanties and ballads along with Mary Garvey the Lower Columbia’s favorite singer and friends.
Memoir Writing with Pat Dixon author of Waiting to Deliver
1:30 p.m. CCC Columbia Hall Rm 219
Discuss the nuts and bolts of scribing personal stories into the written word. Handy for those interested in creating a cherished piece of family history.
Progress Toward Healthy Oceans with Brad Warren of Global Ocean Health and Sarah Schumann of Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign
1:30 p.m. CCC Patriot Hall Rm 207
Learn of recent long-awaited progress in state and federal policies and in new technology to help fishermen and others build appropriate solutions to green house gas pollution.
Open Mic
2 – 4 p.m. WineKraft Wine Bar
Everyone welcome. Drop in with friends and have a short go. Sign up on-site.
Poetry and Sea Shanties with Duncan Berry, Mariah Warren, Meezy Hermansen and Maggie Bursch
2:30 p.m. RiverSea Gallery
Duncan Berry and friends perform amidst his All My Relations art show with its gyotaku direct impressions of coastal creatures.
Campbell’s Last Set with Jon Broderick, Jay Speakman, Rich King, Hobe Kytr, Dano Quinn, Holly Hughes, Billie Delaney, Moe Bowstern and others
3 p.m. Columbian Theater
It’s an annual. Honoring the ghosts of fisherpoets passed, those yet living celebrate the works of others whom the Gathering now misses and wants to remember.
Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wrangers
9 p.m. Columbian Theater
Another Final Farewell Concert as the band, ending the 9 p.m. session, continues playing until the Columbian throws them out.
Umpteenth Annual On-Site FisherPoetry Contest with MC Moe Bowstern
10 p.m. Liberty Theatre
The 2023 rules will be announced by MCs at evening venues during the Gathering. Everybody wearing a FPG button is eligible to complete. Got one? Have a go.
Singers’ Gathering
10 p.m. WineKraft
Didn’t get enough at the workshop this morning? Still feel like singing with friends? Stop in.
Sunday, February 26
FisherPoets Gathering Harmony Gospel Sing. Just for fun.
9 a.m. Columbian Theater
FisherPoets Gathering Farewell Mic
10 a.m. – noon Columbian Theater
A very brief farewell read from lots of lingering scheduled fisherpoets.
All Weekend
Visual Art and Other Exhibits
Northern Light, paintings by George Wilson
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Imogen Gallery
Serene landscapes, dream-like renditions where land, sky and water meet.
All My Relations, original prints by Duncan Berry
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. RiverSea Gallery
Reverent expressive prints from sea and land creatures of the Pacific Northwest coast.
Far-Flung Friends in the Fishing Industry, various artists
12 noon – 4 p.m. Astoria Visual Arts Gallery
Dioramas, fish-skin prints, photography, printmaking, all honoring the annual salmon harvest.
Hanthorn Cannery Museum
all day Pier 39
Self-guided tour of the oldest existing fish processing plant on the Columbia River.
