The Writers Guild’s annual Creative Writing Festival is a three-day writing festival filled with writing workshops, readings, and more located in the center of the beautiful and historic Astoria, Oregon. Past keynote presenters include Karl Marlantes and Ellen Waterston. 2026 features local and regional presenters including renowned poet and essayist, Tess Gallagher. This weekend-long event provides an inspiring and generative weekend for our coastal community and surrounding areas. Join us!
Join us for an amazing weekend of Astoria Creative Writing magic, practicing the urgency of the written word.
The Weekend Festival Pass includes:
Friday night literary ball at the AVA gallery, complete with authors’ readings.
A full-day Saturday of workshops and readings by fabulous presenters. Learn new skills and enhance your craft. Hosted at the beautiful riverfront Barbey Maritime Center.
Saturday evening presenter readings at KALA event space.
Saturday evening reading and interview with internationally award-winning poet Tess Gallagher.
Sunday morning writers’ workshops.
Sunday morning open mic.
Silent auction with gifts for word lovers
You won't want to miss this weekend festival celebrating all things writing in beautiful downtown Astoria, Oregon!
Full Festival Schedule HERE
2026
“Urgency of Words”
At the BARBEY CENTER.
2042 Marine Dr., Astoria, Oregon 97103
Join us October 2-4th for the Astoria Creative Writing Festival: Urgency of Words, featuring internationally award-winning poet and essayist Tess Gallagher.
Other presenters include:
Meg Shaffer
Alta Hensley
Elissa Minor
Ren Cedar Fuller
Calvin Mills
Kate Ristau and Armin Tolentino
Evan Morgan Williams, Dede Montgomery, and Carolyn Dasher
2026 Workshops and Sessions
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2026 Workshops and Sessions *
Friday, October 2nd
6 - 9 pm @AVA Gallery, 959 Commercial St, Astoria
Literary Ball
Join us for a full evening of authors readings, literary celebration, music, our silent auction featuring local businesses and artists, and more!
Saturday, October 3rd
9 am - 3:15 pm @ Maritime Barbey Center, 2042 Marine Dr, Astoria
Workshops, Panels, Presenters, and more! See information below for full presenter information.
Saturday, October 3rd
6-8:30 pm @ KALA, 1017 Marine Dr., Astoria, OR
Keynote interview and reading with Tess Gallagher and Marianne Monson, workshop presenter readings
Sunday, October 4th
9:30 am -Noon @ Maritime Barbey Center
Remaining workshops, participant open mic, and closing remarks.
Using Nonlinear Forms to Tell Necessary Stories with Ren Cedar Fuller
Traditional English classes taught us to write essays that open with a single problem, move step-by-step through carefully-selected evidence, and end with a clear solution. This style supports the dominant culture by not allowing nuance, complexity, or stories of the lived experiences of marginalized people. In contrast, lyric essays move through associations and can combine more than one narrative, poetic, or research thread. Using a nonlinear approach can allow writers to link disparate ideas and explore deeper truths. In this workshop, we will look at examples of weaving unrelated writing threads, writing in fragments, and borrowing nonstandard forms for essays. The attendees will brainstorm and write the first draft of a lyric essay during this generative workshop, as well as have an opportunity to share their work with our group.
Ren Cedar Fuller is a parent facilitator at TransFamilies, an online hub for families with gender diverse children. Her debut book, Bigger: Essays was a finalist for the 2026 Firecracker Award in Creative Nonfiction, shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing in Nonfiction, and winner of the Autumn House Press Nonfiction Prize. Ren’s essays have appeared in Brevity Blog, Hippocampus, New England Review, North American Review, and Under the Sun, and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best American Essays. Ren lives in Seattle and loves to kayak slowly on the Salish Sea. www.rencedarfuller.com
Nature Writing and the Body with Elissa Minor
Bring your notebook and a good pair of outdoor shoes! Whether you’re writing poetry, essays, or fiction, writing about nature is rooted in the body. This workshop will explore the way wilderness mimics the human bodily experience: its rhythms, its tides, its moods, its seasons. We’ll head outside to read published examples and play with writing prompts in nature itself, using techniques like sensory grounding and mindfulness to improve our work. The smell of spruce, the feel of fir needles on the forest floor, the mist rising off the sea waves: we process it all through the body first. The goal is to learn to see ourselves not as authorities on the natural world, but rather extensions of the places we are writing about. Writing about nature helps us better know ourselves, and knowing ourselves helps us better write about nature.
Elissa Minor is the author of the nature memoir Another Eve: Shame and Desire on the Oregon Coast (Oct ‘26) and the award-winning collection The Prisoner Pear: Stories from the Lake, which was a New York Times Editors Choice pick. Their work has appeared in New Letters, Glimmer Train, Juxtaprose, Baltimore Review, The Ledge, and Crab Creek Review, among others. They teach creative writing and literature in the Pacific Northwest.
Conflict and Urgency: Harness Difficult Subject Matter in Hard-hitting Poetry and Prose with Calvin Mills
From tackling controversial material to simply saying a thing that must be said; from activist themes to exposing difficult truths or taboo subjects to reflect, process, and heal, there is value in confronting private or political conflict in literary poetry and prose. Whether you write essays, fiction, poetry, or memoir, we will discuss and explore ways to navigate difficult terrain while avoiding melodrama. Writing helps us process experience, solidify opinions and convictions, and reflect on our lives. Explore the value of personal and political conflict, when artfully told.
Calvin Mills hosts the Raymond Carver Podcast. He is the author of The Caged Man (Stories), from Cornerstone Press (2025) (a NIEA finalist) & A Handful of Tragic Days, a chapbook of creative nonfiction essays (2025) (Winner: Eggtooth All Genre Chapbook Prize). His work has appeared in Short Story, Weird Tales, The Brussels Review, The Quarter(ly), and Short Form Creative Writing: A Writer's Guide and Anthology. His writing awards include a Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival as a playwright. He teaches writing at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Washington. Learn more at https://calvinmillslit.com.
The Power of Mythmaking with Kate Ristau and Armin Tolentino
From Greek monsters to bloodthirsty vampires, mythology is full of stories with lasting power. Myths do more than entertain. They shape how we understand ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. They can reinforce power, challenge injustice, preserve culture, and imagine new futures. Join us for a deep dive into the world of mythological creatures. We'll explore the stories they carry and use these ancient myths as springboards for our own writing. Explore, create, and bring your own legendary tales to life while discovering how words can shape the stories we tell and the worlds we create.
Kate Ristau is the President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) and the Executive Director of Willamette Writers. She is the author of three middle grade series, Clockbreakers, Mythwakers, and Wylde Wings, and the young adult series, Shadow Girl. You can read her essays in The New York Times and The Washington Post. She is the chair of the Tigard Public Library Board of Directors, and you can meet her online at Kateristau.com.
Armin Tolentino earned his MFA at Rutgers University in Newark. He is the author of We Meant to Bring It Home Alive (Alternating Current Press, 2019), and his poetry has appeared in Hyphen Magazine, Arsenic Lobster, The Raven Chronicles, and elsewhere. Originally from Lincoln Park, New Jersey, he now lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife and her three chinchillas. He's an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship recipient, an avid (albeit usually unsuccessful) fisherman, and hopes one day to earn a Guiness Record for World's Loudest Clap.
Writer's Life: Q&A with Alta Hensley
Alta Hensley is a two-time New York Times & eight-time USA Today bestselling author of dark romance where the villain always gets the happily ever after. Twisted, clever, and occasionally unhinged, her books deliver morally gray anti-heroes, sharp-tongued heroines, and happily ever afters that taste even sweeter after a little ruin. With a signature blend of grit, wit, and heat, Alta’s stories prove one thing: Villains deserve love too.
Alta lives in Astoria with her husband, two daughters, and a pair of dogs who think they’re in charge. When she’s not writing redemption for the irredeemable, she’s walking the coastline or sipping craft beer in eccentric little bars that feel like they belong in her books.
Let’s Get Cozy! Craft talk with Meg Shaffer
Would you like to write a book that feels like a warm hug, a cup of hot tea, and a fuzzy blanket all in one? Meg Shaffer (bestselling author of The Wishing Game and The Book Witch) will discuss the art and craft of writing cozy fiction, and why, during turbulent times, writing escapism is both a kindness and a calling.
Meg Shaffer is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game, which was a Goodreads Choice Award finalist, a Book-of-the-Month finalist for Book of the Year, a #1 Barnes & Noble bestseller, and a Reader’s Digest Best Book of the Year.
Her most recent novel, The Book Witch, was a LibraryReads Hall of Fame pick and both a USA Today and IndieBound bestseller. She holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College. Shaffer lives with her husband, author-illustrator Andrew Shaffer, and two cats. The cats are not writers.
As Long As It Takes: Maintaining Urgency For The Long Haul, panel with Evan Morgan Williams, Dede Montgomery, and Carolyn Dasher
For most writers, urgency drives our work; we write because we cannot imagine not writing. But in a busy world, we must balance urgency with patience and perseverance. We have to renew the urgency of our calling every day. And there will be many, many days. The panelists, Evan Morgan Williams, Dede Montgomery, and Carolyn Dasher, did not publish their first books until they reached the age of fifty, but they never lost the urgency that defined their work. From this panel, attendees will learn long-term strategies and practical daily tactics for maintaining the righteous urgency of their work over the long haul. Attendees will have the opportunity to assemble their own tool kit to manage the journey, for as long as the journey may take.
Evan Morgan Williams is the recipient of an Oregon Literary Fellowship (in 2024, his first award after fifteen attempts). Although he earned an MFA from the University of Montana in 1991, his collection of stories, Thorn, would not be published until 2014, when it won the Chandra Prize at BkMk Press. He has since published three collections: Canyons (2018), Stories of the New West (Main Street Rag Press, 2021), and The Divide (Cornerstone Press, 2026). He has published over 75 stories in literary magazines including Kenyon Review, Witness, Zyzzyva, and Alaska Quarterly Review. Evan is retired after 29 years of teaching (and persevering) in a public middle school.
Dede Montgomery is a 6th-generation Oregonian, published author/blogger, and retired safety and health professional. She is a thoughtful and introspective author whose work blends personal narrative, historical reflection, and social awareness. Her storytelling is rooted in a sense of place, identity, family legacy, and the broader human experience. Dede’s fiction and memoir include A Map of Her Own (2025), From First Breath to Last: A Story About Love, Womanhood, and Aging (2024), Humanity’s Grace (2022), Beyond the Ripples (2019), and My Music Man (2017). Website: DedeMontgomery.com.
Carolyn Dasher published her debut novel, American Sky, at age 56. A historical novel about love and war, family secrets, and mothers and daughters finding the freedom to fly, American Sky became an Amazon best seller. Carolyn’s short fiction has appeared in Terrain.org and Sunspot Literary Journal. She writes about strong women doing things women shouldn’t do, often in places women aren’t expected to be. Website: carolyndasher.com
. . . And more! Keep checking back for updates on our 2026 Festival line-up, and we will see you soon!
Keep scrolling for details on our 2025 and 2024 events!
2025
“The Power of People”
At the BARBEY CENTER.
2042 Marine Dr., Astoria, Oregon 97103
Join us October 17th- 19th, 2025, for the Astoria Creative Writing Festival: The Power of People, featuring Keynote speaker Oregon Poet Laureate Ellen Waterston. We’re thrilled to offer additional workshops by Laura Stanfill, Scott Korb, Bob Balmer, Cliff Taylor and Lara Messersmith-Glavin. Join us for inspiring workshops on craft, an evening reading at KALA, and time to write in community near the beautiful Columbia River.
The Hotel Elliott has graciously offered festival attendees a discounted room rate. To book your Festival stay using our discount, please call the Hotel Elliot (503-325-2222) to make your reservation and mention The Writers Guild discount.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ELLEN WATERSTON
Friday, October 17th, 7 pm. Maritime Barbey Center. Doors open to the public at 6:30. Tickets $15 or included with Festival Pass. Book Signing to follow. Pre-event reception for Festival Pass holders opens at 6 pm.
2024 was a banner year for poet and author Ellen Waterston who, that year, received Soapstone’s Bread and Roses Award, Literary Arts’ Stewart H Holbrook Award, and was named two a two-year term as the eleventh Poet Laureate of Oregon. She has dedicated herself to writing and advocating for the literary arts in the high desert region of Oregon, all the while continuing to write poetry and nonfiction works that have evolved into essential reading about Oregon and the West. She has published five literary nonfiction titles, including, most recently, We Could Die Doing This (2024) and Walking the High Desert (2020), and four poetry titles. Her fifth poetry title, As Far As I Can Anthem (working title), will be published December 2025. Waterston is the founder of the Writing Ranch and of the annual Waterston Desert Writing Prize. For more information visit www.writingranch.com
Border Crossings: A Creative Writing Workshop with Ellen Waterston
Saturday, October 18th. 9 am - 11 am
Hone your poetry and prose writing skills in an interactive workshop led by Ellen Waterston. Using generative writing prompts and hand-outs, this two-hour session will explore the theme of crossing boundaries— physical, emotional, and literary. Writers of all ages and experience are welcome. Space is limited.
Imagine a Door with Laura Stanfill
Saturday, October 18th. 9 am - 10:15 am
As writers, we’re constantly tripping over baggage that’s related to the act of having written. Am I allowed to say that? How is my work helping anyone when the world is on fire? Will anyone ever read this? The louder and more insistent those distracting worries are, the harder it is to create new work and be immersed in the process. In this workshop, publisher Laura Stanfill will share some stories, tips, and prompts to pull our focus back to the page, and to help us manage the bigger questions that can derail our progress or make us feel small.
Laura Stanfill is the author of Imagine a Door, a book for writers, and Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary, a novel. As the founder of Forest Avenue Press, she’s committed to publishing literary fiction on a joyride and offering accessible information about the industry. She lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, where she is establishing a food forest.
The Courage to Sound Like Ourselves with Scott Korb
Saturday, October 18th. 10:30 am - 11:45 am
We can master all kinds of factual writing techniques, but in the end, we’re all ultimately responsible for developing a voice that readers (though not all readers) can find compelling. The basic requirement for this is what Joan Didion would call “self-respect.” This means accepting responsibility for our own lives and developing the courage of character that allows us to sound like ourselves—to develop our voice—on the page.
Scott Korb is the author of Light Without Fire: The Making of America's First Muslim College, Life in Year One: What the World Was Like in First-Century Palestine and coauthor of The Faith Between Us. He directs the MFA in Writing program at Pacific University. He lives with his family in Portland, Oregon.
Observations, Filters, and Omissions: Playing with PoV with Lara Messersmith-Glavin
Saturday, October 18th. 1:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Whether you're writing essays or fiction, the point of view you choose to tell the story leads to a cascade of effects. This workshop will develop some basic shared vocabulary among participants (types of narrative voice, for instance, or omniscient versus close third), and then examine what is gained and lost through different strategies. Whose angle is shared? What does the reader know that the protagonist does not? How are insights delivered or provoked? We'll look at some examples from literature and then spend some time playing around with prompts.
Lara Messersmith-Glavin is an award-winning author of both essays and speculative fiction. Her previous books include Spirit Things, Visions and Interventions: Thirty Years of Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, and Life During Wartime: Resisting Counterinsurgency. Her debut fantasy novel RUINER, the first book in the Tellers series, comes out on AK Press in Spring 2026. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she teaches creative writing, coaches movement practices for all bodies, and serves on the board of the Institute for Anarchist Studies.
Poetry as Soul-Empowerment with Cliff Taylor
Saturday, October 18th. 2:45 pm - 4 pm
In this workshop, Indigenous poet Cliff Taylor will be inviting participants to see how poetry, in its essence, is here to empower our souls. In a world geared towards surfaces, poetry energizes the deepest parts of ourselves by creating space for true expression, grief, howls of joy, insight, and revelation. Poetry at its best gives us the power to be our most soulful selves, and that's a big part of the medicine that's needed during these trying times.
Cliff Taylor (enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska) is an award-winning writer, poet, speaker, and storyteller. He is the author of several books, including Notes of an Indigenous Futurist (Hema Press) and the recent essay collection The Shining Hands of My Ponca Ancestors (NDSU Press). A Nebraskan through and through, he currently lives on the Oregon Coast with his sweetheart of many years.
Evening Author Reading at KALA – Saturday, October 18
Join us on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. at KALA (1017 Marine Drive, Astoria) for a special night of literary celebration.
7:00–7:30 p.m. — Open Mic
We’ll begin the evening with an open mic session open to all festival attendees. Share your poetry, prose, or hybrid work in a five-minute slot. Space is limited to full weekend pass holders and sign-ups will be available at the door, so please arrive early if you'd like to participate.
7:30–9:00 p.m. — Festival Presenters Reading
Following the open mic, enjoy a curated series of readings by this year’s festival presenters. This is an opportunity to hear work from our talented featured authors and instructors including Laura Stanfill, Scott Korb, Lara Messersmith-Glavin, and Cliff Taylor.
Tickets: $15 available for the general public, or included with your weekend festival pass.
All are welcome—writers, readers, and community members alike.
Bonus Session
100 Word Stories: Fight Writing-Entropy (With this Energizing Secret Weapon) with Virginia Hayes
Sunday, October 19th. 9 am - 9:30 am
100-word stories are the Energizer Bunny of the story-writing form. They are pocket-sized but full of so much dynamic energy that creating them will improve every aspect of your writing. They are almost free to write and can be written anywhere. If you are ready to become a writer who writes an entire story every day, this activity is for you. Participants are asked to bring a notebook, two pens of differing colors, and a creative bent to this morning bonus session.
Virginia Elizabeth Hayes developed a keen eye for the absurd at an early age. She identifies as neurodivergent and has been writing professionally for an embarrassing number of years. Her cats are helpful through her (second) struggle with cancer. Her work includes: Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse, The Princeling Papers: or, How to Fight Cancer with Colored-Pencils and Kittens.
Creating a Humorous Character with Bob Balmer
Sunday, October 19th. 10 am 11:15 am
Some characters are funny, and they know it. Other characters are funny, and they don’t know it, which adds to the humor
Takeaways:
-Considering the benefits of creating a character who knows they are funny, with the benefits of someone who responds to life funny.
-When and why to use humor.
-Imbuing a character with one (or more) attribute(s) that foreshadow humor.
-How to create a character who is humorous and wise.
More information on Bob Balmer coming soon…
Putting Politics on the Page with Lara Messersmith Glavin
Sunday, October 19th. 10 am - 11:15 am
Fiction can be a playground for ideas--or an opportunity to conduct thought experiments and practice interventions we'd like to try in the real world. In what ways does art prefigure social change, and can our writing itself constitute activism? We will talk about examples of visionary fiction, story tropes that support the status quo, and things to watch for when putting politics on the page. This will take place seminar-style, including a short lecture, followed by breakouts and then a whole group discussion.
The 2024 Creative Writing Festival lineup can still be viewed below:
The Festival will be held at the Liberty Theater, Columbian Theater, Fort George Brewery, and Hotel Elliott in downtown Astoria. October 18-20, 2024.
The Hotel Elliott has graciously offered festival attendees a discounted room rate. You may book rooms on their website using this link and Code: WGUILD
Alternately, you may call the hotel directly and ask for the Writers Guild rate: 503-325-2222.
Would you like to volunteer? Volunteers receive discounted passes. Sign up: here.
Do you need a scholarship? We want to help eliminate financial barriers, so please apply. Thanks to 100 Women Who Care for support. Apply: here.
Would you like to sell your books at the Authors Fair Sunday October 20th?Space is limited and first priority is given to Guild members. Apply: here.
Full schedule for the October Festival and Workshops below!
(Keep scrolling!)
October 18-20, 2024
Join us for an amazing weekend of Astoria Creative Writing magic celebrating the power of the written word.
The weekend festival pass includes:
Friday social mixer 4:30-6 pm with wine and cheese at the McTavish Room (Liberty Theater). Please enter on 12th Street) Pick up your festival pass and enjoy a glass of wine with other attendees.
Friday evening reading and conversation with Karl Marlantes at the Liberty Theater. Doors open at 6 pm. Festival pass pick up in lobby.
A full-day Saturday of workshops and readings by our fabulous presenters. Learn new skills and enhance your craft. Doors open at 8 am. Festival pass pick up available.
Saturday evening poetry celebration at the Columbian Theater (with a chance to read at the Open Mic)
Silent auction with gifts for word lovers
Sunday Authors fair with a chance to purchase books and/or sell your own (seller space is limited with priority given to presenters and Guild members)
You won't want to miss this fantastic weekend celebrating all things writing in beautiful downtown Astoria, Oregon!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Karl Marlantes
A graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Karl Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. He is the author of Matterhorn, which won the William E. Colby Award given by the Pritzker Military Library, the Center For Fiction's Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the 2011 Indies’ Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year, and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s James Webb Award for Distinguished Fiction. He lives in rural Washington.
Event will take place Friday evening, 7 pm at the Liberty Theater. Marlantes will discuss his work and then sit down for an interview with Guild president Marianne Monson. Questions from the audience will be included. Doors open at 6 pm. Pick up your festival pass in the lobby or purchase single tickets: HERE.
Event is INCLUDED for festival ticket pass holders. The general public may purchase tickets through the Liberty Theater.
WORKSHOP #1
Mary Delea - “The Power of Place”
We will read and discuss a few poems in which poets focus on place. Attendees will then be given prompts to write their own place poems, and can share what they have written.
Mary Christine Delea has a Ph.D. In English /Creative Writing. She is the author of The Skeleton Holding Up the Sky as well as 3 chapbooks of poetry. She lives in Oregon City.
The workshop will be on Saturday from 8:30-9:15 am at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry. Doors open at 8 am.
WORKSHOP #2
Lara Messersmith-Glavin - “Objects as Talismans”
Uncover the personal, material, and sensual histories of the objects around you as a starting place for essays or journaling. Participants will generate some writing, and we’ll discuss both lyric and braided essay forms. Feel free to bring some beloved objects (e.g. small stones, jewelry, trinkets, shells, postcards, pens) or work from memory. This session is a great fit for folks who are drawn to poetry, personal essays, natural history, or memoir.
Lara Messersmith-Glavin is an author, educator, and performer based in Portland, Oregon. You can find both her nonfiction and her speculative work in dozens of journals and anthologies, including the most recent issues
of Monstrous Femme, Cthonic Matter, and Space Cocaine, as well as the new collection of gaming stories, Winding Paths: a Playable Reading Experience (Demagogue Press: 2023). Her book of essays, Spirit Things (UA Press: 2022), won the Sarton Women's Book Award for Memoir and Finalist for the Willa Cather Literary Award. Her fantasy novel Ruiner, the first in the Tellers series, is due out on AK Press in 2025.
The workshop will be on Saturday from 9:30-10:30 am at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry.
WORKSHOP #3
Karl Marlantes - “Writing From History”
Karl Marlantes is known for weaving mythological themes into his historical fiction. In this workshop, you'll have the opportunity to hear Marlantes talk about his process and explain how he braids together multiple threads and voices from history to create a cohesive narrative. Bring something to write with for this hands-on workshop session with a master of the genre.
Space is limited.
A graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Karl Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. He is the author of Matterhorn, which won the William E. Colby Award given by the Pritzker Military Library, the Center For Fiction's Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the 2011 Indies’ Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year, and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s James Webb Award for Distinguished Fiction. He lives in rural Washington.
The workshop will be on Saturday from 10:45-11:45 am at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry. Space is limited! Books available for purchase after the workshop.
WORKSHOP #4
Harvest Moon - “Quinalt Storyteller”
Storytelling is a well-balanced tradition blended with new women who have taken the Art Form while carving out a space for themselves. It's amazing how the lives of the women in the past influence our paths through the collective unconscious. Nothing is stronger than water and the words of women. In a man's world war, death is their biggest POWER. In life, women rule Supreme in the word the giving of life and love. Tloo-qwah-nah: when one stops acting or emoting and begins living the PART.
Retired teaching coastal Salish history. Recently pursuing and breaking the tides and stopping the wind! A WOMAN STORYTELLER is my light shining!
The performance will be on Saturday from 1:00-2:00 pm at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry.
WORKSHOP #5
Alyssa Graybeal - “This Place is a Character”
We all know sensory details are critical to good writing. If Astoria is your setting, for example, you might describe the barking sea lions on the Columbia River, the fog on Saddle Mountain at sunrise, the smell of spruce tips on a misty hiking trail...but wait. Which details actually matter to your story? In this workshop, we'll explore how to deepen your writing craft by choosing symbolic, emotion-laden details that support your storytelling, rather than merely decorate it.
Alyssa is a queer writer and cartoonist who uses observational humor to explore the emotional landscape of life with chronic illness and disability, in particular the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Her memoir Floppy (2023) won the Red Hen Nonfiction Award and was a finalist for the 2024 Oregon Book Award. She works as an editor and indexer, and lives in Astoria.
The workshop will be on Saturday from 2:15-3:00 pm at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry.
WORKSHOP #6
Emily Ransdell - “Poetry of Place”
Is there a difference between poetry ABOUT a place and poetry OF a place? Poet Richard Hugo once said: “Everybody’s a regional poet to some extent, but the region
from which you write is merely the lens. The real region is you.” In this workshop, we’ll examine a poem or two that illustrates Hugo’s point with an emphasis on vocabulary and detail. We’ll begin to define a vocabulary that can make our poems uniquely ours, then draft the start of a poem, with optional sharing as time allows. No critique — all exploration!
Poet Emily Ransdell’s debut collection, One Finch Singing, won the Lewis Award
from Concrete Wolf Press in 2022. Her work has appeared in Poetry Northwest, Terrain,
River Styx, CALYX, and elsewhere. Emily has been a finalist for the Rattle Poetry Prize and runner-up for the Patricia Cleary Award from New Letters, as well as the Prime Number Poetry Award from Press 53. Emily divides her time between Camas, Washington, and Manzanita, Oregon, where she teaches poetry workshops online through the Hoffman Center for the Arts.
The workshop will be on Saturday from 3:15-4:15 pm at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry.
WORKSHOP #7
Susan Banyas - “Writing from the Memory Place”
Where we live, the places we are attracted to, the deep history around us, the organic world under our feet—these “memory places” hold key images. Astoria, a place on the map, a place with many histories that bump into each other, a place that calls us to it. We will choose a particular location in Astoria and write a free-wheeling tourist guidebook description of this Memory Place that is sensual, imaginative, and historic.
Susan Grace Banyas is a writer and choreographer who puts words into motion through dance, theatre, stories, essays, and art documentaries. No Strangers Here Today and The Hillsboro Story are multi-voiced investigations and theatre works that toured nationally and were expanded into a non-fiction book, The Hillsboro Story/A Kaleidoscope History of an Integration Battle in my Hometown (Spuyten Duyvil Press, NYC). Her essay, Mr. Music/Remembering David Ornette Cherry, (Oregon Arts Watch) is being expanded into a multi-media story about love and collaboration. She makes her home in Astoria.
The workshop will be on Saturday from 4:30-5:30 pm at the Hotel Elliott event room in Astoria. Included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry.
Poetry Celebration
Join us at the historic Columbian Theater for a celebration of poetry.
7-7:30 pm: Open Mic; come share your words; 5 minute slots (sign up 6:45 pm)
7:30-8:30 pm, performances by Lara Messersmith-Glavin, Emily Ransdell, Susan Banyas, and Cliff Taylor.
Logan Garner is emcee
This event will be at 7 pm Saturday evening at the Columbian Theater 1102 Marine Dr., Astoria.
Event is included with Festival Pass. Please wear your pass for entry. General Public is welcome. Pay $10 at the door.
Authors Fair
Purchase autographed copies of books. Last chance to bid on auction items. Tabling space is limited.
Meet and talk with more than 20 local authors and buy signed books perfect for holiday giving.
This will be 11 am-2 pm Sunday at the Fort George Tap Room in Astoria. Free event. Open to the public.