Kathy Fridstein
Landscapes of Forgotten Forts Project
For almost two decades Kathy has photographed Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, and Fort Casey—the three forts that protected the Puget Sound during WWI and WWII capturing the regeneration of the rich landscape enveloping and surrounding the abandoned structures. Kathy invited the award-winning poet Kelli Russell Agodon into her project to help create a reflective and lyrical history of the forts. Soon began a wonderful collaboration; Kathy sent Kelli photographs and Kelli responded with poems. After a while, it just seemed natural to produce a book. “Landscapes of Forgotten Forts” will be published September 22, 2026 by Chin Music Press. Along with Kathy’s photographs and Kelli’s poems, historical photographs along with transcripts from oral histories weave throughout the pages evoking the ghosts from wars past and the relentless march of time.
During the studio tour you will have the opportunity to see and pre-order the book, “Landscapes of Forgotten Forts” at a discounted price. Photographs from the book will be displayed and available for purchase, along with “Broadsides” with Kathy’s photographs and Kelli’s poems.
You will not want to miss this!!
Saturday, August 22 at 1:30, Along with discussing their collaboration, Kelli Russell Agodon will read poems from the book “Landscape of the Forgotten Forts” along with poems from her newly published book, “Accidental Devotions” (Copper Canyon Press) which will also be available for purchase.
Kathy Fridstein is an artist/photographer living in Port Townsend. After receiving an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Kathy began a 40-year career of teaching in the Pacific Northwest and showing her art. Her work is included in many public art collections and has been exhibited at regional and international venues, including the 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards Exhibition in Barcelona and the Seattle Art Museum, where it was prominently featured in a three-person show. In 2025 she received an Artist Trust GAP award.
Kelli Russell Agodon’s newest poetry collection, “Accidental Devotions”, has just been released by Copper Canyon Press. It is a book for anyone who has ever loved the wrong thing, lost the right thing, checked their phone or found themselves unexpectedly saved by beauty. In poems that are funny, haunted, tender, and radiant, Agodon writes toward desire, queer spirituality, grief, joy, Emily Dickinson, and the strange devotions that shape a life. She is the author of five books of poetry, the cofounder of Two Sylvias Press, teaches in Pacific Lutheran University’s low-residency MFA program, the Rainier Writing Workshop, and cohosts “Poems You Need” with Melissa Studdard. She lives in a small seaside town in Washington State.
Website: https://kathyfridstein.com https://www.agodon.com/index.html
Instagram: @kfridstein @kelliagodon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathy.fridstein
https://www.facebook.com/kelliagodon Medium: Photography, Written/Spoken Word Demo/Activity: Yes Shared Studio: Yes (with Kelli Russell Agodon (sharing on Saturday only)) Stairs: No