Robin Koger remembers when she first felt inspired to capture observations of the fishing community, the culture and the lifeways embodied within it.

She was working at her best friend’s fish camp on Chisik Island, Alaska, located at the mouth of the Tuxedni Bay. Her friend, Marina, and a crew hand were busy tying knots to buoys and getting ready to transport equipment to fish sites.

“I was watching these very capable women doing this work,” Koger said.

At the same time, it was a calm day, with just a little wind brushing the surface of the ocean and producing tiny waves that captured the light to create the mirage of luminescent mermaid scales on the water. Mt. Iliamna loomed in the distance.

“I’m looking out at these mermaid scales,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day. I thought, ‘I’ve got to write this down’”

A retired high school English teacher, Koger was no stranger to journaling and writing, but that moment marked the beginning of her transformation into a fisherpoet and inspired an ever-growing collection of poetry about Chisik Island and those who compose the fishing community.

“Fish camp brought out a different side,” she said.

A ‘special place’

Koger was born and raised in Anchorage. She started visiting the Haynes Camp on the north point of Chisik Island — operated by her best friend’s family — at 14 years old, and spent a portion of her summer there for many years.

That relationship continues, but a few years ago, Marina took the helm of her family’s business, and Koger took on a new role: Camp Mamma.

It comes with a wide range of responsibilities, from cooking and cleaning to carpentry, toting, and lugging, all for “making sure the fisherpeople are comfortable when they get home for the day,” Koger said.

The summer season usually begins in late May or early June with setting up the camp before the commercial fishers arrive to work for the next several weeks. According to Koger, “The season has openers and closers,” although the timing of the openers can vary from year to year.

For her, there is something deeply alluring about the island, whether one experiences it on a sunny day or in torrential rain.

“It puts you in touch with the natural world, and you’re right there with it,” she said. “Chisik is a very special place.”

It’s been a source of inspiration for her writing as well. In a style similar to William Carlos Williams, Koger’s poetry tends to capture “little snippets of a moment in time” or brief glimpses into the day-to-day lives and experiences of those working in the fishing industry. She likes to describe what she witnesses through the lens of more common experiences, or sometimes from a different point of view.

One of her favorite poems, titled “Spa Day,” first published in the Winter 2023 edition of “Alaska Women Speak,” draws parallels between the daily experiences of fishers and spa treatments — a sea salt scrub, a saltwater cold plunge, a seaweed facial wrap and a manicure of wet sand — summing it up with the line, “spa day for a crew hand.”

Some works have more specific inspiration. When she reads her poem “Beauty and Bone,” she thinks of her best friend’s sister, Machelle Haynes, who epitomized the balance of feminine grace and powerful capability.

“She was a woman to admire,” Koger said.

In general, much of her poetry highlights “the joy of being in the space and the nature,” as well as the grit, determination, and work ethic required in the fishing industry.

“It’s a difficult, demanding job,” she said. “It’s not something everybody can do or wants to do. A lot of people do it for a season.”

‘An artist community’

Since beginning her foray into the world of fisherpoetry, Koger has had more than 30 poems published, including in Alaska Women Speak, Susitna Writer’s Voice and Cirque Journal. She was first introduced to the FisherPoets Gathering by one of the crew hands at Chisik Island, who had attended the event in Astoria.

Koger’s experiences as Camp Mamma made for a fitting addition to the fisherpoet community.

“I’ve been to camp, and I know the rural experience, and I know what it’s like to be out there,” she said.

When she attended the event in 2023, she was immediately drawn in by the sense of camaraderie.

“You’re surrounded by people of a like mind and similar interest, and they’re all fun, and they’re all skilled at what they do. It’s an artist community,” she said. “I felt very embraced, and I felt very welcomed.”

Koger looks forward to returning to FisherPoets in 2025 and sharing new poetry, which lately has focused on “the aging fisherperson” and the toll that such a job takes on the human body.

“I’ve watched friends age in this business and witness the physical effects,” she said. “Fisherpeople are definitely hard workers.”

Listen to Koger read during the FisherPoets Gathering 8 p.m. Friday at the Liberty Theatre and 6 p.m. Saturday at Astoria Brewing Co.