The poets are ferrying over this spring.

Taking place at Doe Bay Resort every Monday at 7 p.m., the Artsmith salon series is entering its sixth month and is booked through May with writers visiting from all over the country, including many noted poets.

Monday, March 29 the salon will feature visiting poet and American Book Award winner Judith Roche. Roche is the author of three collections of poetry, “Myrrh/My Life as a Screamer,” “Ghosts,” and “Wisdom of the Body.” She is also co-editor of “First Fish, First People: Salmon Tales of the North Pacific Rim,” which won an American Book Award. Roche’s work has been published widely and she has taught at the University of Washington Extension Program, Antioch, Seattle Pacific University, and throughout the Northwest as an Artist-In-Residence. Roche co-designed and facilitated a successful prison writing program in Washington state.

Roche is teaching a workshop at Doe Bay Resort on Sunday, March 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. entitled “Poetry Spa.” All levels of experience are welcome. Students may register by calling 376-2291. Tuition is $55.

Actor, poet, and writer Fred Ferraris will also read March 29 at the Artsmith salon. He was a finalist in the National Poetry Series, nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and received the Mark Fischer Award in 2008. Most recently he acted in “Time Capsule,” a film by Randall Stowall. Ferraris lives in Lyons, Colo.

April 5 poet Tom Davis will read at Doe Bay Resort. An English teacher, Davis was inspired by writers and poets at WSU and University of Washington and received a MFA at Eastern Washington University.

On April 12 Dan Raphael comes to Orcas Island from Portland, Ore. Raphael is the author of eight books of poetry. He was the editor of the literary tabloid “NRG Magazine” for fifteen years.

Other poets coming to the Artsmith salon this spring include Keetje Kuipers, John Olson, Willis and Tony Barnstone, Paisley Rekdal, John Sangster, and Anita Holladay.

“We’re just chalked full,” volunteer organizer Jennifer Brennock said. “Along with a healthy dose of poetry, we’ll hear prose from Orcas novelist Keary Taylor, Warren Henke of Seattle, playwright Samara Shaw, and Oregon writer John Enders.”

The salon is free to attend and the Doe Bay Resort café is open for dinner before and during the salon.

“More and more local writers and dabblers are taking advantage of the writers’ open mic portion of the salon,” Brennock said. “It’s ten minutes of free air for anyone who wants to share what they’ve written. It’s the only weekly forum for that on the island, and it’s totally supportive.”

Located in Eastsound, Artsmith supports writers and visual artists and provides residencies for them to produce new work.

Volunteers are coordinating rideshare to Doe Bay Resort. Information about the Artsmith Salon Series is available at www.doebay.com, www.orcasartsmith.org, on Facebook, and by calling 376-2025.