The 35th Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers offers flexibility for everyone to take in events and activities throughout the week.
All events take place at Wallowa Lake Lodge unless otherwise noted
Monday, July 11 – First Day of Summer Fishtrap!
2:00-4:00pm – Check-In
4:00pm – Welcome to Summer Fishtrap
4:30-5:30pm – Workshop Orientation
5:30-7:00pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Opening Day Presentation with Fishtrap’s Shannon McNerney and readings from Tim Z. Hernandez and Sharma Shields
Open to the public – FREE [Watch it here]
9:00pm – Book Signing
Tuesday, July 12
7:00-9:00am Breakfast
9:00am-Noon – Morning Writing Workshops (at your instructor’s cabin)
Noon-1:30pm – Lunch
1:00-3:00pm – Youth Activities
1:30-3:00pm – Wallowa Big Tree Walk with Wallowology:
Large and old trees are cornerstones of diversity and resilience for the entire forest community. Join ecologist Dr. David Mildrexler for a walk around the Wallowa Lake Lodge grounds to explore the values specific to the largest trees in the forest which underscore their outsized benefits to both the forest and local community. *Hike Difficulty: Easiest. This activity is generally suitable for anyone who enjoys walking on grass that is mostly level or with a slight incline. Meet at Wallowa Lake Lodge.
3:00-4:00pm – Craft Talk: Editing with Ellen Waterston. Bring a poem or two paragraphs of your own writing to share.
4:00-5:00pm – Open Mic Readings
5:00-6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Faculty Readings: JaNay Brown-Wood, Beth Piatote, and Cameron Scott
Open to the public – FREE [Watch it here]
9:00pm – Book Signing
Wednesday, July 13
7:30-9:00am Breakfast
9:00am-Noon – Morning Writing Workshops
Noon-1:30pm – Lunch
1:00-3:00pm – Youth Activities
1:30-3:00pm – Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center: Building a Timber Culture Legacy. Join us for an interactive discovery and preservation journey to growing an inclusive American narrative. Through video, photos and storytelling, we celebrate the expansion of Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center’s stewardship of land, stories, and partnerships through the power of interpretation.
3:00-4:00pm – Craft Talk with Laura Pritchett
4:00-5:00pm – Open Mic Readings
5:00-6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Faculty Readings: Aaron Abeyta, Karen Auvinen, and Laura Pritchett
Open to the public – FREE [Watch it here]
9:00pm – Book Signing
Thursday, July 14
7:30-9:00am Breakfast
9:00am-Noon – Morning Writing Workshops
Noon-1:30pm – Lunch
1:00-3:00pm – Youth Activities
1:30 – 3:00pm – East Moraine Hike with Wallowa Land Trust
Join Wallowa Land Trust for a hike up the East Moraine to learn about the area’s geology, ecology, and the formation of Wallowa Lake. *Hike Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous. Hike will generally be challenging for an unconditioned person. The terrain will involve a steady and often steep incline. Bring water and wear sturdy shoes. Meet at Wallowa Lake Lodge.
3:00-4:00pm – Discussion on Publishing with Sharma Shields
4:00-5:00pm – Open Mic Readings
5:00-6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Faculty Readings: Christopher Kondrich, Frank X Walker, and Ellen Waterston
Open to the public – FREE [Watch it here]
9:00pm – Book Signing
Friday, July 15
7:30-9:00am Breakfast
9:00am-Noon – Morning Writing Workshops
Noon-1:30pm – Lunch
1:30-3:00pm – Youth Showcase
3:00-4:00pm – Yearlong Writers Workshop Readings
4:00-5:00pm – Open Mic Readings
5:00-6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Renewal: A conversation with luk’upsíimey / North Star Collective
Open to the public. Buy your ticket here.
Join us in a very special celebration of Summer Fishtrap’s theme of “Renewal” with luk’upsíimey / North Star Collective, a group of Nez Perce artists, writers, and Indigenous language activists who write and perform in Niimiipuutimt / Nez Perce language, speaking with and from their ancestral homelands of the Wallowas.
Featured Speakers: Julian Ankney, Phillip Cash Cash, Sarah Hennessey, Beth Piatote, Angel Sobotta, and Kellen Trenal
“As members of luk’upsíimey/North Star Collective, we express our love and commitment to our language, our land, and our collective future as niimiipuu through creative expression. In our program, we will share a range of writings, stories, and expressive movement, including a nimipuutímtki oration of a historical narrative of Chief Joseph’s name in relation to Wallowa Lake (with English translation), an original monologue, poems and stories, a “words to movement” performance, and a meditation on the theme of renewal. Reflecting our practice as a writing collective devoted to language revitalization, we center nimipuutímt (language), wé:tes (land), and nimipuuwítki (ways of doing) in the works that we share.”
9:00pm – Book Signing
Saturday, July 16
7:30-9:00am Breakfast
Morning Writing Workshops
Noon-1:30pm – Lunch
1:30 – 3:00pm – Josephy Center for Arts and Culture presents a guided tour through “Heartwood” a collaborative installation by local artists Steve Arment and Anna Vogel, and a Conversation on Local and Nez Perce history and current affairs with Rich Wandschneider. Meet at The Josephy Center, 403 Main St, Joseph.
3:00-4:00pm – Fishtrap Fellows Readings [Watch it here]
4:00-5:00pm – Open Mic Readings
5:00-6:300pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Summer Fishtrap’s 35th Anniversary Celebration with music, entertainment, plus readings from Robert Stubblefield and Fishtrap founder, Rich Wandschneider.
Open to the public – FREE [Watch it here]
Sunday, July 17
7:30-9:00am Breakfast
10:00-11:00am – Presentation and Readings from Eastern Oregon University’s Masters of Fine Arts Students in Creative Writing. Students entering their second year in Eastern Oregon University’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing will read from their work in all genres.
11:00-Noon – Hellos and Goodbyes
This is your chance to connect with the Summer Fishtrap community at large. Socialize and make connections. Exchange your writing with old friends and new. Make plans for all of us to meet again next year at Wallowa Lake.
11:00am-2:00pm – Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland – Stop by the visitor’s center on your way home to learn the story of the Wallowa country from the perspective of the waĺ wá·ma, the people of the waĺáwa. Explore photos, artifacts, maps, art, and take a walking tour of the beautiful Tamkaliks Celebration grounds which include a dance arbor, longhouse, and interpretive signage. *Hike Difficulty: Easiest. This activity is generally suitable for anyone who enjoys walking on grass that is mostly level or with a slight incline. Open from 11:00am-2:00pm. Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland – 209 E 2nd Street in Wallowa
La Grande EOU MFA Lit Week – Writing about Animals
Follow your EOU MFA cohort down river for a day of literary events
2:00pm at the Jewel Theater in Elgin
Claire Boyes, Site Fidelity: Stories, and Nick Neely, Coast Range: A Collection from the Pacific Edge
4:30pm at JaxDog Cafe & Books in La Grande
Molly Reed, The Rapture Index: A Suburban Bestiary
5:15pm at Liberty Cafe in La Grande
Marina Richie, Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher
6:00pm at Side A Brewery in La Grande
Michael Branch, On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World’s Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer
7:00pm at Side A Brewery in La Grande
Animal Writing Panel