Law & Literature: Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins

Port Townsend Library Event Explores How Stories Shape Law, Literature, and Community Life

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. — What do courtroom advocacy, poetry, and fiction have in common? More than you might think.

The Port Townsend Library invites the community to Law & Literature: Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, a lively special event that brings together local writers, legal professionals, students, and other community members to explore how storytelling shapes law, literature, and civic life. The free event takes place Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Carnegie Room at the Port Townsend Library.

Stories help people make sense of the world, connect with others, and find their voices. From the courtroom to public life to creative writing, the ability to tell a persuasive story can inform, inspire, and influence how communities think and interact.

Featured speakers include attorney and novelist Amanda DuBois, retired Court of Appeals Commissioner and author Joanne Tompkins, and City of Port Townsend Poet Laureate Rufina Garay. The discussion will be moderated by Judge Mindy Walker of the Jefferson County District Court.

Panelists will explore where legal argument, fiction, poetry, and public storytelling intersect, where they differ, and why storytelling remains such a powerful force in civic and community life. Attendees will also be encouraged to reflect on their own stories and the many ways people use language to advocate, imagine, and connect.

This event is presented in partnership with the Jefferson County Bar Association, the Washington Women Lawyers Olympic Peninsula Chapter, and the City of Port Townsend Library. Community members of all backgrounds are warmly encouraged to attend