For singer/songwriter Anna Tivel, her pull to music is not the music itself, it is what she can depict to the listener in the music’s lyrics.

“I'm a shoddy guitar player,” Tivel said about the music she creates to background her words. “But I use it as a way to make melody. The writing is the part I like the most.”

To get the most precise words for a song, Tivel can spend hours crafting a story with poetic language. As an introvert, Tival receives inspiration by watching others around her, crafting her songs after hearing others' stories.

“That's my way of processing,” she said. “I learn a lot about people's stories and scenes … You can't help but be writing your own experience as well.”

Though based in Portland, Oregon, Tivel grew up in La Conner, a ferry ride and drive from Port Townsend. It has been a few years since she has performed in the area, since an appearance at Sirens Pub, but she has toured all around the country and in Europe.

Tivel's passion for music came from her grandfather, who introduced her to the fiddle, an instrument she still picks up to play to this day. In her early 20s, Tivel began to write her own material on guitar, giving her a “whole new world” of passion in music. This led to more and more songwriting, until she wanted to put it on a record.

There are three albums Tivel has put her name on, including 2014's “Before Machines,” 2016's “Heroes Waking Up,” and last year's “Small Believer.”

Mastering on her new album, “The Question” is underway, with an expected release date in April 2019. Tivel described the theme of the new album as focused around the idea of, “Maybe we spend a lot of time trying to find answers, or something concrete to base all this on, but maybe it's the searching that's the part that is most beautiful.”

Tivel will be this month's featured artist for the Northwind Arts Center's Songwriter Showcase. Its organizer, Matt Miner, had previously worked with Tivel when he put together concerts in Portland.

Miner said Tivel is a unique talent, calling her “the people whisperer,” as she has a way of being a restrained singer while still grabbing her audience's attention.

“The words matter, and the way she sings them is what amazes me,” Miner said. “Her words demand attention.”

During the last several years, Miner has watched Tivel perform and progress as a musician, saying she has gotten more comfortable in front of an audience. He recalled seeing her at the Sisters Folk Festival in Oregon, saying she has been the go-to fiddler for anyone who is performing, to provide some extra flair.

“A lot of people will have her sit in and back them up,” Miner said.

Sharing the stage with Tivel will be Jason McCue, who is also on the same indie label, Fluff and Gravy Records. With only an acoustic guitar to back him, McCue has an alternative folk tinge to his singer/songwriter genre.

In 2017, McCue won the MoPOP Sound Off! competition.

The Northwind Arts series has been going on for a year under Miner's stewardship. With 13 years' experience booking concerts in the Portland area, Miner strives to bring acoustic music to this area as he had there, by recruiting “middle class” performers whom he said were just as talented and charismatic as the genre's other superstars, such as Paul Simon, James Taylor or Carole King.

“They don’t have big major-label contracts or play massive arenas,” Miner said. “They tour the country by economy class, and rental car and stay with friends rather than in hotels, playing bars and living rooms, making their living show-by-show and by selling CDs out of the trunks of their cars.

“But just like their big-name peers, they can hold an audience in their hands, and mesmerize them with enchanting melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. And, because they are accustomed to more intimate venues, they can connect more directly and personally with their audiences, who leave the shows feeling they have not just discovered a new talent, but made a new friend.”

This concert series takes place once per month, but varies on its times and dates depending on the musician's schedules. The Tivel and McCue concert is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Northwind Arts Center, 701 Water St. Tickets can be purchased at tivelmccuenorthwind.brownpapertickets.com.