Bellingham SeaFeast will host four speaking engagements on Sunday, Oct 6 from 12pm-4pm at the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County office, 708 Coho Way. We strongly encourage you to purchase tickets ahead of time online; however any remaining tickets will be available at the door. Get tickets >
12pm Rena Priest, Newer Poems
Rena Priest is an enrolled member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation. She served as the 6th Washington State Poet Laureate (2021-2023) and is the editor of the anthology I Sing the Salmon Home: poems from Washington State. Her most recent book, Northwest Know-How: Beaches, includes poems, retellings of legends, and fun descriptions of 29 of the most beloved beaches in the Pacific Northwest. Her work also appears widely online and in print. Learn more at renapriest.com
1:15pm Tom Crestodina & Tele Aadsen, Working Boats Coloring Book and What Water Holds
Tom Crestodina has been working as a fisherman in Alaska for over 20 years and studied marine engineering at the Seattle Maritime Academy. After his first child was born, he began making cutaway drawings of the vessels he was working on as a way to connect with his child while he was at sea. He now documents the maritime trades in his art, and his work is carried in shops and galleries along the Pacific coast. He lives in Bellingham, WA, with his wife, Ania, and their two children. You can find out more about his art at TheScow.BigCartel.com.
Tele Aadsen is a writer, commercial fisherman, and lapsed social worker. A lifelong migrant between Southeast Alaska and Whatcom/Skagit counties, she lives ocean-summers aboard the F/V Nerka and land-winters in the farmlands of Bow. Tele self-markets the Nerka's catch through Nerka Sea Frozen Salmon, performs annually with FisherPoets Gathering, published her collection of poetry titled What Water Holds and collaborated with Bellingham maritime artist Tom Crestodina on the Working Boats Coloring Book.
2:30pm Susan Conrad, Seeking Synchronicity: A Solo Kayak Journey Up The Inside Passage
Susan Conrad's jam is long, slow paddles in long, skinny boats and her all-time favorite place to experience that is the Inside Passage. She's completed two approximately 1,200-mile solo through-paddles from Washington State's Salish Sea to SE Alaska and has authored three books about those adventures. Susan's passion for sea kayaking is contagious, and her personal stories will inspire you to believe in yourself and pursue your dreams with tenacity.
Join Susan as she takes you on an adventure of a lifetime, reliving her 78-day solo sea kayak expedition from Washington State to Sitka, Alaska. Comparing it with her 2010 expedition, Susan will share stories and images that will leave you in awe. From paddling marathon distances to forging friendships in remote locations, she'll take you through the highs and lows of her incredible journey. Highlights include her efforts to raise awareness of Marine Protected Areas in the Great Bear Rainforest and retracing the paddle strokes of the late, great Audrey Sutherland, the grand dame of expedition paddling.