Opening Reception and Poetry Contest Award Ceremony
9:30-11:30am at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Birkenfeld Theatre
Welcome to the Raymond Carver Writing Festival!
Featured presenter: Alice Derry (Port Angeles, WA)
Guest presenter: Marj Hogan (Portland, OR)
Award presentation and readings from the winners of the 2025 Poetry Contest in both youth and adult (over 18) categories.

Steal Time to Write (in community)
11:45am-12:45pm at Clatskanie Library and Fultano’s Pizza
Focused writing time at lunch! Pick up printed prompts from host locations and spend some time responding in community.

Poetry and Prose Reading
1-2pm at The Castle
Readers: Craig Brandis (Lake Oswego, OR), Jon Broderick (Cannon Beach, OR), Florence Sage (Astoria, OR), Tess Gallagher (Port Angeles, WA)

Writing Workshop
2:30-3:30pm at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Ballroom
Presenter: Marj Hogan (Portland, OR)
To prepare for this workshop, you might: (a) create or find a transcript of you or someone else describing their daily work (paid or unpaid), (b) do nothing at all. When we get together, we’ll do a warm-up, generative exercise and then approach writing poetry about work using two different strategies. Some questions it might be fun to think about in advance: What have your various jobs given you? What have they taken from you? How has your body changed because of your labor? What language and skills do you have that someone outside of your work does not have?
Registration appreciated, but not required.

Parking Lot Poetry
4-4:30pm at the Carver Mural
Readers: Tess Gallagher … and you!
Tess will start us off by reading a selection of Carver and Gallagher poems and shared anecdotes. Then it’s your turn. Bring a poem to share (one that inspires you or one you wrote) and read to those assembled in the parking lot!

Prose and Poetry Reading
5-6pm at Flowers ‘n’ Fluff
Readers: Janet Ebert (Astoria, OR), Robert Michael Pyle (Grays River, WA), Gary Copeland Lilley (Port Angeles, WA)

Poetry and Pie Festival Finale!
at the Clatskanie Food Hub
6:30pm Dinner (reservations required)
Seasonal Farm-to-table food featuring locally grown savory delights. Non-alcoholic beverages supplied, beer and wine available for purchase. Reservations are required, cost is $20 per person. Purchase a ticket

7:30-8:30pm Open Mic Poetry Jam (free and open to all)
An opportunity for festival participants to share their words in a supportive and fun atmosphere, sign-ups will be available all day and on site in case of last minute inspiration.

ONGOING
Publishers & Writers Fair
9:30am-6pm at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Lobby
Tables featuring presenting authors and regional writing organizations. A select assortment of Raymond Carver books will be for sale at the event. We’ll also have merch available from the Raymond Carver Writing Festival including commemorative posters, stickers, postcards, book bags and badges.

Steal Time to Write (self-guided)
9am (or venue open time)-6pm (or venue close time) at various locations in Clatskanie
Self guided. Pop in to sponsoring sites, pick up a keepsake print and spend a few minutes writing to short prompts from festival writers. A different printed prompt will be offered at each location, so plan on stealing time for all of them!

Donations are welcome for the Clatskanie Cultural Center Marquee

100th Anniversary Celebration!

1:00-1:45 PM

Welcome and tours of the Clatskanie Cultural Center by Clatskanie Foundation members. Refreshments and music by the CMHS Jazz Band under direction of Jaime Erwin in the Ballroom.

2:00-2:45 PM

Welcoming remarks, followed by a brief overview of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) by Grand Master Francis Kuper, the story of the restoration by Foundation President Deborah Hazen, and the unveiling of the Ballroom Name.

3:00 PM

Performance by the Community / CMHS choirs under the direction of Jaime Erwin, performing songs of the past 100 years with historical commentary by historian Deborah Hazen.

FREE EVENTS

Music and stories will celebrate loggers, fishermen, musicians and sawmill workers who lived in Northwest Oregon including and original piece entitled “Boys of Columbia County”.

Partially funded by Columbia County Cultural Coalition.

FREE ADMISSION

Donations accepted for the Cultural Center marquee Project

100th Anniversary Celebration!

1:00-2:30

Welcome and tours of the Clatskanie Cultural Center by Clatskanie Foundation members. Refreshments and music by pianist Clark Mallory in the Ballroom.

3:00

Performance by Timberbound in the Birkenfeld Theatre. The music and stories will celebrate loggers, fishermen, musicians and sawmill workers who lived in Northwest Oregon, including an original piece entitled “Boys of Columbia County”.

FREE EVENTS

Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. | Clatskanie Cultural Center 75 S. Nehalem St. Clatskanie, OR 97016

We're an acoustic band who likes to play traditional, and original songs in the Crabgrass tradition (bluegrass with a maritime flavor.

FREE Family Fun Show for all!

Sponsored by Wauna Credit Union

Friday, January 23, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. | Clatskanie Cultural Center 75 S. Nehalem St. Clatskanie, OR 97016

Pipeline Vocal Project (PVP) is Alaska’s first professional vocal trio comprised of a lead, bass and vocal percussion. This group puts a unique twist on well-known favorites from all eras, whether it’s crossing decades or genres. From viral videos to live performances, PVP brings joy to their audience.

Sunday, December 7, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. | Clatskanie Cultural Center 75 S. Nehalem St. Clatskanie, OR 97016

You’ll hear those great Denver lyrics recalling Grandma, Mathew, Annie, Eagles, Hawks, and Horses, too!  So many John Denver songs come shining through in a Rocky Mountain Christmas, your audience will leave the concert singing, and spiritually uplifted by the experience.‍

Ted has been performing John's music all over the U.S. for many years; during the past year alone, he has visited 20 states. He often performs with Steve Weisberg (Denver's lead guitarist from 1973-77), Eddie Kilgallon of Montgomery Gentry and Ricochet (who produced, sings back-up vocals, and plays keyboard on Ted's newest CD).

People miss John Denver and his brilliant music; Ted Vigil is doing his best to pay homage.  During Rocky Mountain Christmas, you’ll be treated to Ted’s own composition Sing My Song, written as a personal tribute to the great John Denver.  Ted’s gift for the music and polished and energetic performing style presents a warm and delightful evening through some of the world’s most popular music. ‍

Ted has an uncanny physical and musical resemblance to John Denver; and when he takes the stage and begins to sing, the audience is transported back in time.  Present Ted Vigil’s Rocky Mountain Christmas next season; your audience will love it, and so will you!

Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. | Clatskanie Cultural Center 75 S. Nehalem St. Clatskanie, OR 97016

Project Convergence is an American dance company that is home to the union of the Bharatanatyam and American tap dance. The company is bi-costal with home bases in New York City and Seattle. Lauded by both the New York Times and The Hindu, the company presents an experience simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar to audiences by uniting Indian and African-American cultures in the universal language of rhythm. In doing so, they show how two cultures can be united seamlessly without erasing the unique identity of either. The company’s creative team has experience across American classics such as STOMP and 42nd Street, and Indian staples such as Mystic India: The World Tour and Chennai’s Marghazi Festival. The company has been featured in The Guardian,WNYC (New York Public Radio), and The Dance Enthusiast. They have appeared at many high-profile events, including the Indo-American Art Council’s Erasing Borders Dance Festival at  Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Series, and a United Nations private event at the Houston Texan’s NRG Stadium. It’s work is supported by residencies at the American Tap Dance Foundation and Premiere Dance Center. Excerpts of their show Taalam (Rhythm) have played to a sold out 5,000 person audience at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center and the Citigroup Theatre at Alvin Ailey.

Join us on Monday, October 27 for a conversation with Akhil Reed Amar, one of the country’s leading thinkers on constitutional law. We’ll explore how equality has been a core part of our laws, history, and self-understanding, and consider how we strive toward this ideal today. We’ll also dig into the arguments and assumptions that informed the US Constitution, how it has evolved over the past 238 years, and what the future may hold for our nation’s most basic laws.

Amar teaches constitutional law at Yale University. He is the author of several books about constitutional law and history, including America’s Unwritten Constitution, The Constitution Today, and, most recently, Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution, 1840-1920.

This conversation is part of our 2025–26 Consider This series, Beyond 250. 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and we’re looking at what this milestone means: How do we think about and experience equality, freedom, independence, tyranny, justice, union, and other ideas central to the Declaration and to our nation’s understanding of itself? How has the Declaration shaped the country we live in today, and how might we shape its future?

Jâca (pronounced, ZHĀ-ka) is an award-winning clarinet/guitar duo that combines world music, virtuosity, and humor to bring an adventurous, passionate, and completely original musical style to the stage. Jâca combines the intimacy of an instrumental duo with a larger-than-life energy to create an experience that consistently leaves audiences buzzing. “At a Jâca concert you’re not just a bystander, you feel a part of it.” – Humans of Chamber Music

Described as an “alluring and stunning combination” (Take Effect), Jâca’s music is truly a unique fusion that fits into no single genre. From Flamenco to Fado, Appalachia to Argentina, and guitar slides to clarinet smears, the duo explores the highest limits of what their instruments can do. Their debut album, Breakthrough (Navona, 2022), has been honored by worldwide organizations including the International Portuguese Music Awards (Best Instrumental Performance 2023) and the International Clarinet Association.

Portuguese-Canadian clarinetist Wesley Ferreira is an acclaimed soloist and orchestral musician. He always brings his infectious positivity, big smile, and way too many reeds to every rehearsal. Dividing time between his home in Spain and his native USA, guitarist Jaxon Williams is an active performer of both Classical and Spanish Flamenco styles. He also knows more about fingernail care than a certified beautician and can slap on a fake nail in 5 minutes or less.

Since 2018, Jâca has brought their infectious charm to arts series and music festivals across the USA and worldwide. They have played in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and have been featured on national television and radio in Portugal, Ecuador, and the USA. Press outlets have described the duo as being “at the forefront of an exciting new wave of chamber music groups” (Sneak Preview) and praises Jâca for “pushing classical music forward” (Culturs: Global Multicultural Magazine).

Dividing their time between the USA, Canada, Spain, and Portugal, this 21st-century duo represents the limitless potential of an interconnected world.

An evening with Willy Vlautin.

Songs & stories from “The Horse”

Clatskanie Library presents:

Lean on Pete is a 2017 coming-of-age drama written and directed by Andrew Haigh, based on the novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin.

Discussion scheduled after movie showing.

This Program was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities and the Nation Endowment for the Humanities.

The Clatskanie Arts Commission is honored to present Clatskanie born and raised jazz musician, Justin Salisbury, in concert, Sunday, August 10, at the Birkenfeld Theater, 75 S. Nehalem in Clatskanie.

Jazz pianist Justin Salisbury will return to his hometown of Clatskanie for a special performance with his international quartet. The group—which features an Italian saxophonist, bass player, and drummer—will performer Salisbury’s music at Clatskanie’s Birkenfeld Theater on August 10 at 3 p.m.

In 2022, Salisbury released his first solo recording, Evergreen, to critical success. He released a follow up recording as a leader in 2023, entitled Of Wonders Wild and New. In 2024, he was featured on a recording by Puerto Rican rapper, Residente, which won a Grammy award.

 The pianist has been developing his musical voice and an international reputation ever since. He’s now working with an international band that features some of Italy’s best young musicians—Daniele Germani on saxophone, bassist Giuseppe Cucchiara, and drummer Andrea Nicolai. The group will be on a tour of the west coast, and Salisbury is looking forward to making a special stop in his hometown to play at its historic theater for one afternoon only.

Salisbury grew up in Clatskanie and studied studying with several of the Pacific Northwest’s finest musicians, such as Sharon Moe, Clay Giberson, Derek Sims, and Alan Jones. He received a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. While there, he honed his skills by studying and performing with some of America’s jazz elders, such as saxophonist Joe Lovano and pianist Joanne Brackeen.

 After school, he relocated to Brooklyn, where he became an in-demand musician for jazz and pop bands, performing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and multiple international festivals.

His concert at Clatskanie’s historic Birkenfeld Theater is a special event celebrating one of the many important artists who have grown up in the Lower Columbia region and left to make their mark on American culture. The most recent of those who also spent part of their youth in Clatskanie, is Cole Escola, who recently won a Tony for the Broadway musical, Oh, Mary!

Salisbury, like Escola, found artistic inspiration in the Clatskanie area, and the August 10 concert is a chance for him to return and share that inspiration with his hometown. It’s a rare concert, and one not to be missed.

Tickets are available online at clatskaniearts.org, by calling Elsa at 503.728.3403 or at the door the day of the performance.  Tickets are $20/adults; $18/seniors and students; $15 children.

Poetry Contest Award Ceremony
5:30-6pm at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Birkenfeld Theater
Award presentation and readings from the winners of the 2025 Poetry Contest in both youth and adult (over 18) categories.
Award presenters: Estella Hamilton, Mayor Robert "Bob" Brajcich

Writing Workshop
2-3pm at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Ballroom
Presenter: Martha Gies (Portland, OR)
In this workshop, we will use prompts suggested by two or—time permitting—three of Carver’s poems. I have found this exercise to be fun for writers of prose and poetry alike. No public sharing required. Bring your notebook and a pen.
Pre-registration appreciated

Opening Reception
10-11:30am at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Ballroom
Welcome to the Raymond Carver Writing Festival!
Guest presenter: Laura Moulton (Portland, OR)
Featured presenter: Martha Gies (Portland, OR)

Publishers & Writers Fair
10am-12:15pm at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, Ballroom
Vendor tables by local authors, regional writing organizations and presenters.
Allen Braden (Tacoma, WA), C.C. Stern Type Foundry (Clatskanie, OR), Martha Gies (Portland, OR), Empty Bowl Press (Chimacum, WA), Holly Hughes (Chimacum, WA), Laura Moulton (Portland, OR), Dayle Olson (Cathlamet, WA), Rain Magazine (Astoria, OR), Raymond Carver Podcast (Port Angeles, WA), Salal Review (Longview, WA), Armin Tolentino (Vancouver, WA), Evan Williams (OR), Write Around Portland (Portland, OR), The Writer’s Guild (Astoria, OR), and more!
A select assortment of Raymond Carver books will be for sale at the event. We’ll also have merch available from the Raymond Carver Writing Festival including commemorative posters, stickers, postcards, book bags and badges. Maybe even a few t-shirts in random sizes!
Presented by Astoria’s The Writer’s Guild.

Portland Opera is proud to present the second youth opera in the Our Oregon Series, Shizue: An American Story

Written for students 4th grade and up, but easily enjoyed by all ages.

Shizue Iwatsuki was 19 years old when she cam to Hood River, Oregon as a newlywed with her husband Kamegoro, to make a new life on their orchard. A poet and artist, Shizue was unprepared for life on the farm, but she learned- all the while surprising herself with her resilience. But no one in the Japanese American community was prepared when the United States government issued Executive Order 9066 sending all people of Japanese descent to “relocation centers.” Through it all, Shizue created beauty around her, writing poetry and creating Ikebana (floral arrangements) with any materials she had to hand. Hers is the true story of a quiet hero and her perseverance in the face of tremendous adversity.

Free movie and popcorn (while supplies last)! Sponsored by Wauna Investment Services

Clatskanie Cultural Center - Birkenfeld Theatre

Dive into an ocean of hands-on science fun while exploring Oregon’s underwater environments. Join us to discover beautiful kelp forests and rugged, rocky reefs with activities that will inspire you to protect this amazing world under the waves.

Sponsored by the Clatskanie Library District and the Museum of Natural & Cultural History

Free movie and popcorn! Sponsored by Wauna Credit Union

Clatskanie Cultural Center - Birkenfeld Theatre