Salty & Seasoned Seafarers
Share Sea Sagas
in Songs and Sonnets
Everyone is Welcome!
FisherPoets Weekend is here! Fisher folk and fans thereof arrive from all over the world to perform or attend at various events, and visit with others of their kind right here in Astoria, the Oldest American Settlement West of the Rockies. Astoria’s rich fishing history and its rustic and lively venues lend themselves well as backdrop to the weekend’s performances.
Fishermen and women are a rare breed, and when they are in from the hazards of their jobs, they celebrate in a big way. What they also do is have plenty of time on those long, hardworking days at sea, to reflect and compose songs, poetry, anecdotes and prose, which they enjoy sharing along with a beer or three.
If you have spent any amount of time fishing at all, from Alaska to Mexico, you could walk into a local bar on FisherPoets weekend in Astoria and bump into someone you know quite well. For there is no better way to create a bond than when you’re sleeping stacked like sardines in a tiny bunkroom, or sleeping in shifts in the same bunk, aboard a fishing vessel; and the tinier, the more intimate the connection, for better or worse. All of this happens while experiencing rough weather, long days, frequent losses of comrades and peers, and overall extreme conditions. Even if you haven’t served on the same vessel, your experience in kind is a tight-knit bond, for very few understand this lifestyle. Being a fisherman makes for a great story, and even if you aren’t a fisher person, you will wholeheartedly appreciate the songs, stories, and poems generated by those who have and do.
When the Gearshack (the official headquarters located at 1184 Commercial St. in Astoria) opens for the 2017 FisherPoets Gathering at 10 a.m. on Friday, the 24th, you will want to be there to stock up on gear, bid on silent auction items, as well as check out the lineup of events. There is something happening every hour, all weekend, from the Hanthorn Cannery Tour all the way to the Farewell Mic at noon on Sunday, the 26th at the Events Center in Astoria.
Events schedule available online, click here for more info.
