Treichel

ENTERPRISE — December’s Fishtrap Fireside on Friday, Dec. 1, features local Wallowa County writers Beth Estock and Madeline Lau, plus special guest and Oregon Book Award winner Eliot Treichel.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. at Fishtrap, 107 W. Main St. Or, watch online at fishtrap.org or Fishtrap’s YouTube channel.

Fishtrap Fireside is a monthly reading series celebrating diverse voices from local writers and storytellers.

“Beth Estock and Madeline Lau are familiar faces in the community but many don’t know that they are fine writers too,” said Mike Midlo, Fishtrap program director. “Eliot Treichel is a longtime Fishtrap friend. He is a distinguished author, educator, and has contributed to many Fishtrap programs. We’re lucky to have him be a part of Fishtrap Fireside.”

All three will take to the podium Friday night to share some of their recent thoughts and stories. Admission is free although donations are welcome. Light snacks are provided and drinks are available for purchase.

December’s Fishtrap Fireside is sponsored by Terminal Gravity.

The readers

Estock has a love-hate relationship with the church. A progeny of a Catholic and Protestant marriage, she spent her childhood on the shores of Lake Erie. When she professed her allegiance to Methodism, her Catholic grandmother told her she was going to hell. Being inquisitive, she took some theology classes in college to find out if her grandmother was right. That and her love of church camps compelled her to go to seminary at Emory University.

She pastored churches in Georgia and Oregon “until she got a metaphysical kick in the pants to quit.” She came into her fullness as a master leadership coach and yoga instructor and has written two books. She is also the pastor of Joseph United Methodist.

Lau is a sixth generation Oregonian from a small grass seed town in the Willamette Valley. She’s been a creative dilettante as long as she can remember and recently realized she has profound ADD. She’s a mom of three wild boys and a partner to her extremely patient significant other. When she moved to Wallowa County she noticed her skill set was designed for 19th century dinner parties and she’s been working to remedy that. She writes stuff, plays music, freaks out and wanders around in the outside.

Treichel is a writer, runner and river enthusiast. His work includes the young adult novel “A Series of Small Maneuvers” and the story collection “Close Is Fine.” A past Fishtrap Fellow, he is also the recipient of the Reading the West Award, the Oregon Book Awards Readers’ Choice Award, and the Wisconsin Library Association Literary Award. Originally from Wisconsin, he now lives in La Grande, where he is an assistant professor of English/Writing at Eastern Oregon University.