The Writers Guild of Astoria and Astoria Visual Arts (AVA) are thrilled to jointly host a reading and reception for the winner of the 2024 North Coast Writer’s Residency, Anthony Hudson, at the AVA Gallery on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at 3:00 PM. Light refreshments will be available. This is a free event and the entire community is welcome.

Anthony’s residency focused on continuing his in-progress memoir, “Looking for Tiger Lily,” of which he has said: “Charting my coming into consciousness as an Indigiqueer artist, drag performer, and writer in the Pacific Northwest, this book is as built into our landscape as my ancestors are.”

In the project, Hudson connects modern events with history through his coastal native ancestors. He is a member of the Grand Ronde tribe, and his memoir will largely focus on Two-Spirit identity, Indigenous history, and self-discovery. Anthony is known for performing in Portland as a drag clown, and brings 15 years of writing experience in script writing, essays, and performance scores.

Guild President Marianne Monson said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Anthony Hudson to Astoria for the 2024 residency. Hudson's work stood out for its compelling weaving together of the native history of this region with modern day concerns. It will be an honor to have a Grand Ronde/Siletz author working and reading in our community.”

This is the sixth year of the Writers Guild’s Writer in Residence program. Chosen writers are hosted in a private setting for a week so that they can focus on their projects. The program is one of the ways the guild seeks to support and cultivate promising writers, especially those who live in the Pacific Northwest. The annual residency culminates in this reading at AVA Gallery.