ENTERPRISE — Celebrate the new year at Fishtrap Fireside on Friday, Jan. 6, with readings from Wallowa County writers Sebastian Hobbs, Kathryn Kemp and Nathan Slinker.

The evening starts at 7 p.m. at Fishtrap, 107 W. Main St. Admission is free.

The gathering can also be joined from afar by watching live on Fishtrap’s Facebook page, or afterward on Fishtrap’s YouTube page or fishtrap.org.

January’s Fishtrap Fireside is sponsored by Copper Creek Mercantile.

Sebastian Hobbs

Hobbs grew up in Lostine, raising rainbow trout, sheep and goats with his parents and two younger brothers. His writing became meaningful in high school, but he took a break from writing poetry while studying at Reed College. During quarantine, he began to write short stories and letters, and has more recently continued to pursue poetry. In addition to writing, Hobbs has spent time studying medium-format film photography, Argentine tango, piano and painting.

Kathryn Kemp

Kemp spent her childhood in the woods of Joseph, before moving to the East Coast for eight years for her education. After receiving her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University in New York City, she returned to Wallowa County in 2019 to serve the residents of her home community. Kemp said she “firmly believes in the power of rural communities to collaborate and design local solutions for recovery and healing.” She said she enjoys helping clients of all ages “heal in the midst of relationship difficulties, life transitions, acute and developmental traumas and attachment wounds.”

In her free time, she enjoys singing, writing, drinking tea, doing yoga in the sunshine and cuddling with her cat, Larry. She is currently studying for her doctoral degree in social work through Walla Walla University.

Nathan Slinker

Slinker has published poems in many journals, including Third Coast, Mid-American Review, The Greensboro Review and Kenyon Review Online. He has been a Fishtrap fellow, a semi-finalist for the “Discovery”/Boston Review Poetry Prize, and he was a finalist for New River Press’s Many Voices Prize. He runs Alder Slope Nursery just outside of Enterprise.