For 33 years, writers have gathered at Wallowa Lake outside Joseph, Ore., every summer to explore their craft with some of the world’s top wordsmiths. This year, they’ll meet from home.
Summer Fishtrap will take place online July 6-12, and writers will explore the theme of “courage.”
Organizers of the nonprofit group made the decision to cancel the physical gathering amid uncertainty about when it will be safe for people to travel or gather in large groups, according to a statement released this week.
“We’ll miss seeing everyone at Wallowa Lake this summer, but the public health crisis has revealed how Fishtrap can provide high-quality writing workshops and events to even more people no matter where they live,” Fishtrap Executive Director Shannon McNerney said in the statement.
The weeklong writing workshop will be conducted live via video conferencing. There will be courses in fiction, nonfiction, essay, short story and poetry. Each workshop will be limited to no more than 13 people to allow participants to build connections with the other writers and the instructor. Other online events will include craft talks, discussions, readings, and access to exclusive videos and materials, including award-winning author Craig Childs’ keynote address. Childs is known for following ancient migration routes on foot, from early Pueblo passages across the Southwest to paths of the first peoples into the Americas during the ice age. He has published more than a dozen books of adventure, wilderness and science and lives in Norwood, Colo.
Besides Childs, other summer faculty include: Omar El Akkad, Tim Z. Hernandez, Nina McConigley, Beth Piatote, Laura Pritchett, Sharma Shields, Frank X. Walker, Ellen Waterston, MOsley WOtta and Leni Zumas. More Information and registration is available online at fishtrap.org.
— Inland 360 team
