Fisher Poets Gathering

“Fisher Poetry” comes from experiences living and working in the industry, and ranges from fast-moving rhyming couplets and crafted free verse to include songs, short stories, personal memoirs and essays. The Fisher Poets Gathering has been an annual event in Astoria the last full weekend of February since 1998. It offers a program of readings and music from fishing industry people bringing their original poems, stories and songs to the stage. The 2008 event gathered near 70 presenters, along with several local music groups, all with fishing industry ties and added a 4th venue to the event. The audience includes a growing number of afficianados who come from the Astoria area and points around the country for original writing about the hard-working vocation of fishing and to be part of the lively ambiance of the event.

The gathering has been given substantial support every year by Clatsop Community College, with contributions of services, goods and panel members from several local organizations and businesses, as noted in the annual program. But otherwise it is a community venture put together by a small committee of volunteers.

This popular event has grown in audience and fame over the years. It has been designated a Library of Congress Local Legacies project, and been the subject of many local, regional and national news articles and productions, including NBC’s Today Show and the Smithsonian magazine. It is the subject of a documentary filmed over several years of the gathering by New York documentary filmmaker Jen Winston, called “Fisher Poets,” which has shown by invitation at several film festivals.

KMUN-FM broadcasts the Friday and Saturday evening program from the Wet Dog Cafe. Since 2007, that includes “streaming live” over the web around the world. Sage commented, “We’re happy that KMUN makes FPG available “word for word” to our local listeners, and to all fishing and like-minded people with the equipment to pick it up.”

Buttons are $10 for the weekend, or $5 for one day or event.

Event Information

Date: Friday, February 27, 2009 to Sunday, March 1, 2009