First Thursday Writers & Artists Series

The First Thursday Writers & Artists Series is a monthly event designed to bring together writers, painters, photographers, poets, and people who appreciate them, in the inspiring setting of Helvetia Winery.  This series will provide a welcoming space for people to connect, share their creative work, and build lasting artistic and professional communities.

Each month we host a speaker to kick off the evening.  This month Dede Montgomery will be out guest.

About the author:

Dede Montgomery is a 6th-generation Oregonian.  Dede often writes with a deep connection to place, particularly the Pacific Northwest. Her storytelling is rooted in a sense of identity, family legacy, and the broader human experience.  

Dede explores the jumbled path of forgiveness, reconciliation, courage and gratitude in her memoir, My Music Man (Bedazzled Ink Publishing, 2017). Dede was a 2019 Oregon State Capitol Foundation Speaker Series presenter, sharing My Music Man stories on Oregon’s February 14 Birthday. Her novel Beyond the Ripples was released in 2019. Then, Now, and In-Between: Place, Memories, and Loss in Oregon is non-fiction “blog to book” (2020). Humanity’s Grace (Bedazzled Ink, 2022) is a linked short story collection or “novel in stories.” Her memoir, From First Breath to Last: A Story About Love, Womanhood and Aging was released by Bedazzled Ink in March 2024. Dede released her first dual timeline work of historical fiction, A Map of Her Own, on October 14, 2025.