As much as I’d like to write a sweet reminiscing note about what a fun year Edmonds has had, my brain is mashed potatoes and I almost forgot what day it was. I hope readers are enjoying this amorphous week between Christmas and New Year. I’ll “see” you in January.

“The Pear Tree: elegy for a farm” book launch party

Bethany Reid

6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, The Edmonds Bookshop, 111 Fifth Avenue South, Edmonds

Edmonds Bookshop is honored to host the official launch party for poet Bethany Reid’s newest book, The Pear Tree: elegy for a farm at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4. Reid is an Edmonds resident, award-winning poet, and creative writing teacher. Sparrow and Body My House are some of her previous collections. You can find more about Reid and her work on her website or poetry blog: ONE BAD POEM. Of special note, the cover art that Reid chose for The Pear Tree is a painting by Edmonds Bookshop owner Michelle Bear, who will join her to tell the story of how that came about. All are invited to this special celebration.

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Save the date for Sketcher Fest

Art and travel enthusiasts, mark your calendars for July 19-21, 2024.

The travel sketchbook festival that filled Edmonds’ downtown and waterfront with hundreds of sketchers last summer will return for a second year. Sketcher Fest (sketcherfest.com) will partner again with Urban Sketchers Seattle, the local chapter of the international nonprofit Urban Sketchers, and with two important Edmonds institutions.

The state-of-the-art Graphite Arts Center on Main Street will serve as a hub for educational activities taking place July 19-20. Graphite will host an opening reception the first evening and its doors will be open the next day for participants coming to meet their workshop instructors or to attend indoor sketching activities.

The beautiful Edmonds Waterfront Center overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains will host the Sketchbook Fair and Art Market on Sunday, July 21. This year all the rooms in the building will be used to accommodate more guest artists and activities.

The first event of its kind in the United States, Sketcher Fest blends the learning spirit of the Urban Sketchers Symposia with the festival atmosphere of the popular Carnet de Voyage events in France.

The goal of Sketcher Fest is to celebrate art, travel, and the practice of documenting people, places, and culture in sketchbooks. A full list of guest artists, programming, and ticket sales information will be announced in February.

— By Elizabeth Murray

Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele.