With the release of the controversial documentary “Blackfish,” killer whale captivity has become a hot-button topic. Novelist Diane Hammond will give a presentation about her experiences as killer whale Keiko’s press secretary in the late 1990s and how it inspired her latest novel, “Friday’s Harbor.”

Hammond is no stranger to the Pacific Northwest, having lived in Tacoma, Newport and Bend. She previously served as a spokesperson for the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. She is also the recipient of an Oregon Arts Commission literary fellowship and the author of several critically acclaimed novels including “Going To Bend," “Homesick Creek" and most notably “Hannah’s Dream,” the prequel to “Friday’s Harbor.”



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