Friday, January 3 – 7:00pm
107 W. Main St. – Enterprise
Free Admission
The first Fishtrap Fireside of 2025 takes place Friday, January 3 at Fishtrap’s event space on Main Street in Enterprise. Fireside also streams online at Fishtrap.org. The event features readings from three Wallowa County writers, Kate Forster, Cameron Scott, and Fishtrap’s Executive Director, Shannon McNerney.
Fireside is a monthly reading series designed to feature diverse voices of local writers. Each month offers a fresh look at what people of the West are thinking about and writing down. Since the program launched in 2013, more than 150 Wallowa County writers have stepped up to the podium or logged on virtually to share their work. Audiences have enjoyed a variety of storytelling including poems, fiction, history, humor, memoir, sci-fi fantasy, essay, travelogue, food stories, comedy, and much more.
Fishtrap Fireside takes place in Fishtrap’s new event space, the historic Bowlby Building on Main Street in Enterprise. Admission is free although donations are always welcome. For those who can’t make it to Enterprise, anyone anywhere can take in Fireside online at Fishtrap.org and on Fishtrap’s YouTube Channel.
December’s Fishtrap Fireside is sponsored by Larry & Sharon Nall
More on the featured readers for January below:
Kate Forster
Meet Kate Forster, a vibrant soul with a profound passion for living life to the fullest and
helping others. Just don’t trash-talk her beloved Oregon State Beavers, and everything will be okay. With deep roots in Wallowa County and passion for community service, she has served as a Fishtrap Board member for the last 10 years. Kate’s career path at Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness has evolved from a Peer Support Specialist and Case Manager helping people with mental illnesses to a dedicated Service Coordinator for individuals with developmental disabilities. Away from her professional endeavors, Kate finds joy in the simple pleasures of life – capturing the serene beauty of a sunrise, attending local live music events, sipping mochas, and chasing rainbows – to name a few. Kate is a dedicated cat Mom Buddy and Beav. A proud alum of Landmark College and Western Colorado University, she credits her educational experiences with shaping her into the lifelong learner and enthusiastic community member she is today. Whether it’s connecting with clients, attending a Fishtrap event, planning her next Amtrak adventure, or yelling “Go Beavs” at the TV, Kate’s life is a beautiful blend of passion, purpose, and fun.
Shannon McNerney
Shannon McNerney has served Fishtrap’s Executive Director since 2015. Fishtrap’s mission to cultivate clear thinking and good writing in and about the West aligns with her passionate belief that the power of storytelling, creativity, and art can bring together and transform community. Shannon spent the first part of her career working in music as a classroom and studio teacher, singer, in music publishing, and as the Executive Director of the Portland Symphonic Choir. She received her Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Oregon, and will receive her Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in 2024. Shannon lives, writes, sings, cooks, attempts gardening, and snuggles with her ridiculous beasties in Joseph, Oregon.
Cameron Scott
Cameron Scott is currently an 8th-12th grade English teacher at Joseph Charter School, advises Interact Club and Dungeons and Dragons, and serves on various educational boards. He reads to his three year old daughter when she can’t sleep at three in the morning and talks gibberish to his ten month old son who somehow understands. His wife and dogs love him. In other lifetimes all he’s written and fished comes back.