Fishermen Out Loud
The 3rd annual Fishermen Out Loud program went off as schduled April 16, 2010, at the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium in Kodiak. The all ages event featured original poems, stories and songs about Kodiak, fishing and the sea presented by seven talented fishermen / artists. Held in conjunction with the Kodiak Comfish fishing trade show, Fishermen Out Loud is Kodiak's public expression of an ancient tradition- going down to the sea in ships to pull a living from the sea, and coming back to tell the tale. Support came from the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, United Fisherman of Alaska, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Island Seafoods, and individuals and businesses in the Kodiak community.
Moe Bowstern has been a commercial fisherwoman in Alaska since 1986. She lives in Portland, Oregon. She describes the lives of commercial fishermen in essays and songs, and has been a performer at the Fisher Poets Gathering in Oregon since it began in 1998. Moe is the founder and editor of “Xtra Tuff,” a literary ‘zine devoted to commercial fishermen and fisherwomen. She performs regularly across the country on stage and radio.
Jon Campbell is a prolific composer of contemporary Maritime Music based in New England. A multi-instrumentalist and reluctant singer, his songs address issues relevant to inhabitants of any of the four coasts- East, West, Gulf, Alaska. He has been a Rhode Island State Council of the Arts Folk Artist since 1982. He performed at Kodiak Out Loud in 2008.
Dan Crane has fished out of Homer, Alaska, for decades. He writes powerful stories and poems about the people who pull their livelihoods from the Gulf of Alaska. This is his first Fishermen Out Loud appearance.
Dave Densmore was born on Kodiak Island and has been a commercial fishermen in Alaska since he began fishing with his father as a young boy. Dave writes heartfelt poetry about the life of a commercial fisherman and performs regularly on stages and radio venues across the country.
Pat Dixon was a commercial fisherman in Cook Inlet for many years before retiring to Washington State in 2000. He writes stories about the fishing life and has appeared at many fishing related literary events on the Wesy Coast, including the Fisher Poets Gathering in Oregon, and the first Kodiak Out Loud show in 2008.
Erin Fristad is a writer, teacher, and fisherman from Port Townshend, Washington. She fished for many years in Southeast Alaska and is a regular at the Fisher Poets Gthering in Oregon. Erin participated in the first Kodiak Out Loud show in 2008.
Toby Sullivan is a commercial fisherman and writer from Kodiak, Alaska. A long time performer at the Fisr Poets event in Astoria, he has written extensively about the lives of commercial fishermen. His work has been published in numerous magazines and literary journals, as well as several anthologies, including “Out on the Deep Blue,” and “Salt in Our Veins.” |
