From the very first incarnation of Summer Fishtrap in 1988, each weeklong session has been built, at least loosely, around a certain theme.

“Love” is the theme for this year’s Summer Fishtrap, a series of readings and workshops for writers, and it started — as is the case with so much that happens in Wallowa County — with a few words from Rich Wandschneider.

Wandschneider, one of the founders of Fishtrap, fired off an email to his colleagues early in 2023. In part, the note read, “it occurred to me that we might have a Fishtrap focused on love. How do we respond to this world of hate? … How do we get on with the good life — or at least a better life?”

The theme resonated with the Fishtrap staff. And so it is that “Love” is the theme for Summer Fishtrap, scheduled for July 8-13 at Wallowa Lake Lodge. The event combines workshops during the day, but most nights wrap up with a reading from members of the Summer Fishtrap faculty that are free and open to the public. (The exception is Saturday night, which includes a keynote address and music from The Bad Penny Pleasuremakers; see the related story for Summer Fishtrap schedules and other details.)

“We tossed around other ideas for awhile, but we just kept coming back to Love,” writes Fishtrap director Shannon McNerney in her introduction to the event, published in the Summer Fishtrap program.

And, in fact, many of this year’s Summer Fishtrap faculty members have worked the theme into their weeklong curriculum, said Mike Midlo, Fishtrap’s program director.

As always, those faculty members — generally, writers from the West — run the gamut and include veterans like Kim Stafford, another Fishtrap founder, who has taught workshops at 30 Summer Fishtraps. (On those years when Stafford isn’t teaching, he’s been known to take a seat in a workshop as a student.)

But the faculty list this year also includes a newcomer, Eliot Treichel, who’s teaching a workshop for the first time — but who isn’t a stranger to Fishtrap: He was a Fishtrap fellow in 2014.

“Those are some of my favorite stories,” Treichel said, “where somebody started out getting a scholarship or a fellowship (to Fishtrap) … and then they come back and teach a class.”

With such an array of writers on hand, Midlo and other Fishtrap staffers have fun creating the lineups for each of the public readings.

“Our goal for the evenings is to provide a variety pack,” Midlo said. “We try to make sure that there’s something for everybody each night.”

Each evening includes a mixture of genres — poetry, fiction, nonifiction, and so on. So if one writer “isn’t your cup of tea, certainly the next person will have something for you,” he said.

Midlo said he loves those nighttime readings, which occur on the shores of Wallowa Lake, underneath a big tent that can seat up to 200 people.

He added that this year, Fishtrap is deepening its relationship with the Wallowa Lake Lodge, in part by encouraging attendees to arrive early and dine at one of the lodge’s two restaurants, the Redd Bar and Grill and The Camas Room. (The Camas Room requires reservations, which can be made by calling 541-432-9821.)

“I would really like to see people come up and order dinner, have a glass of wine and then drift down to the tent for the evening,” he said.

Here’s the schedule for this year’s Summer Fishtrap. All events take place at 7:30 p.m. at Wallowa Lake Lodge, 60060 Wallowa Lake Highway in Joseph. (Events are free unless otherwise noted.)

Monday, July 8: Opening night kickoff with Fishtrap Executive Director Shannon McNerney and Kim Stafford, Fishtrap co-founder.

Tuesday, July 9: Poet Aaron Abeyta, Perrin Kerns, Sam Mills.

Wednesday, July 10: Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Eliot Treichel, plus the 2024 Summer Fishtrap Fellows.

Thursday, July 11: Amy Irvine, Rena Priest, Sharma Shields.

Friday, July 12: Tim Z. Hernandez, Nina McConigley, Laura Pritchett.

Saturday, July 13: Keynote address with Aaron Abeyta and music from The Bad Penny Pleasuremakers, a New Orleans duo featuring Wallowa County native Matt Bell and Joy Patterson. Admission is $25; $20 for Fishtrap members. Tickets can be purchased at fishtrap.org.