Fisher Poet Casts Long Line Of Words

West Coast commercial fisherman and poet Capt. David Densmore, a founder of the West Coast Fisher Poet movement, will speak at the Chilmark Public Library on Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Captain Densmore of Kodiak, Alaska is a lifelong fisherman, earning a full share on a Kodiak seiner by the time he was 12 and purchasing his first boat soon thereafter. He skippered his first Bering Sea King crabber at 23, the youngest Bering Sea king crab skipper at that time. He has trolled the west coast for salmon and albacore, otter trawled for bottom fish, and fished Alaska for black cod and halibut, king crab, tanner and Dungeness crab. He currently fishes salmon out of Kodiak and is gearing up for crab.

Densmore started writing poetry in the late 70s, and has called his work, “a love letter to the industry.” He feels the Fisher Poet movement is playing an important role in raising awareness about the difficulties commercial fishermen face. He’s been published in numerous trade papers, magazines and newspapers and has a byline in a quarterly, the Columbia River Gillnetter. He was recently featured in the documentary film Fisher Poets and on Good Morning America.

This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Chilmark Public Library, in collaboration with the Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard. For more information, call 508-645-3360.