Friday, March 1, 2024 at 7:00pm
107 W. Main Street – Enterprise
Or watch it online here
The March edition of Fishtrap Fireside features three generations of Wallowa County writers in celebration of Women’s History Month; Kathleen (Kat) Johnson, Randi Movich, and Sarah Petrillo. It takes place on Friday, March 1st at Fishtrap’s event space and online at Fishtrap.org.
Fishtrap Fireside is a monthly reading series celebrating diverse voices from local writers and storytellers. Each month offers a fresh look at what people who live in the west are thinking about and writing down. “I always look forward to the Women’s History Month event,” says Fishtrap’s Mike Midlo. “We get to hear readings from three generations of women who offer different life experiences, insights, and perspectives.”
Fireside takes place in Fishtrap’s event space, the historic Bowlby Building on Main Street in Enterprise. Admission is free although donations are always welcome. Light snacks are provided and drinks are available for purchase. For those who can’t attend in person, anyone anywhere can take in Fireside online at Fishtrap.org and on Fishtrap’s YouTube Channel.
March Fishtrap Fireside is sponsored by The Nature Conservancy
More on the featured readers for March below:
Kathleen (Kat) Johnson
Kathleen (Kat) Johnson was born and raised in Colorado. After earning her B.S. in English she taught fourth grade for a time but quit to become a “stay at home” mom and follow her first husband as his career took them to New Jersey, California, Georgia and Massachusetts before choosing to make Oregon home. Kat has been a substitute teacher, library aide, scout leader, EMT and companion to cats, dogs, ducks, goats and horses. In her 30s, she began a new career as a Registered Nurse starting in critical care but eventually specializing in geriatrics, geriatric psychiatry and dementia care. After more than 30 years, finding herself happily retired but not so happily widowed she decided to begin a new chapter of her life by joining her daughter, (Fishtrap E.D. Shannon McNerney) in Wallowa County. She is grateful for the kindness of the community and awestruck by the majesty of the landscape. She never tires of watching the deer and quail that visit her yard. Thanks to Fishtrap, she is rediscovering the joy of diving in and playing with words.
Randi Movich
Raised in the wilds of the San Fernando Valley, Randi Movich could not wait to leave the neighborhood for ocean swims, camping, backpacking, and skiing. That wanderlust brought her to a life of work and discovery in Marseille, France, a Peace Corps assignment in West Africa, six months in central and south America, graduate school in Idaho, a stint in Eugene working at the Western Environmental Law Center, back to Guinea for two years working with traditional healers and midwives, Ashland, Oregon and finally to Wallowa County. Almost 10 years as a nurse, Randi’s main writing assignment is documenting chart notes but after attending Fishtrap’s Outpost on the Snake River program she rediscovered her desire to write and wander again.
Sarah Petrillo
From a young age, Sarah Petrillo was groomed to be an outdoor educator. She spent the summers of her youth frolicking around the Wallowa Lake United Methodist campground while her mom ran family camps. Soon, her mom discovered that Sarah was a pretty great kid wrangler, and put her in charge of campfires, games, and taste-testing desserts in the camp kitchen. While at camp, she was lucky enough to attend Fishtrap Youth Workshops, which inspired some of her first creative writing. At the age of nineteen, she followed her love of the outdoors and became a river guide at Winding Waters River Expeditions. While on the river, she spent countless nights listening to guides tell fantastical (albeit somewhat exaggerated) tales of whitewater and adventure, and eventually began telling some of her own. She now works as an Experiential Education Program Coordinator at the University of Puget Sound, where she leads college students on outdoor adventures. On a given day, you can find her kayaking, skiing, or hiking around her home base in Snoqualmie, WA, where she continues to be inspired and utterly humbled by the rivers and mountains that surround her.