Saltwater Stories

Newport Fishermen's Wives (NFW) and the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center (PMHC) will co-host Saltwater Stories featuring FisherPoets on Sunday, October 25, at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, 333 SE Bay Blvd. in Newport. The afternoon brings fisher poetry,

sea shanties, and coastal art inspired by the sea to Newport's working waterfront, with live music from the Coastalaires, the Oregon Mid-Coast Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

"Our fishing families work hard, often out of sight, and events like this give the whole community a chance to hear their stories in their own words," said Becca Bostwick-Terry, President of Newport Fishermen's Wives. "We're grateful to the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, the FisherPoets Gathering, and businesses like Local Ocean and Claim 52 for helping us bring this to the bayfront."

The event is the Newport stop on the FisherPoets Oregon Coast Tour, running October 23–27 in Port Orford, Coos Bay, Newport, Garibaldi, Pacific City, and Lincoln City. Founders and organizers of the FisherPoets Gathering - an annual celebration of the commercial fishing industry in poetry, prose, and song, held in Astoria since 1998 and recognized by the U.S. Library of Congress as a "Local Legacy" project - are taking ocean-based poetry and song to these ports up and down the Oregon coast this October, connecting with local fisherpoets, musicians, and storytellers along the way.

Touring performers include West coast fisherman Rob Seitz, veteran deckhand Chelle Meyers, and salmon troller Duncan Berry, regulars from the FisherPoets Gathering.

Amanda Gladics, of Oregon Sea Grant and an organizer of both the FisherPoets Gathering and the Oregon Coast Tour, says the tour is about building lasting connections with coastal fishing communities.

General admission is $15 and runs from 3 to 5 p.m. VIP admission is $25, includes general admission, and opens at 2 p.m. with an artist meet-and-greet, hosted bar featuring Claim 52 Brewing, and hors d'oeuvres featuring Local Ocean. Tickets are available through Newport Fishermen's Wives website