Is there any such thing as too much sunshine? Well, maybe if you factor in wildfires and smoky haze. But I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as too much literary activity, especially if it affords an opportunity for an informal 49 writers meet-up as we’ll have Monday, July 20, at 9:45 p.m. (or 10 p.m, if you prefer even numbers) at the lounge at the Embassy Suites, 600 E. Benson, in Anchorage. All are welcome – if you have a chance to RSVP, please do (debv@gci.net), but if not, feel free to just show up. We won’t keep you up too late – only an hour or so. Our gathering is in conjunction with (though not sponsored by) the MFA Summer Reading Series. There are still some great authors left to meet – check the sidebar for details.
Speaking of writerly gatherings, Jim Misko of the Alaska Writers Guild tells us the group has passed the 100-member mark. Don’t forget their upcoming Alaska Writers Workshop on the Art and Business of Writing, August 22-23 in Anchorage. For details, visit the Guild’s website.
Having just returned from paddling 400 miles down three rivers from the crest of Brooks Range to Arctic Ocean, Fairbanks author Debbie Miller reports that the 28-day amazing trip generated tons to write about for some new projects. Her new children’s book, Survival at 40 Below, a book about animal adaptations of Arctic animals, comes out next February with Walker. Jon Van Zyle has just finished the illustrations, which Debbie says are quite nice. It’s their ninth collaboration. Wild Moments, the new anthology by Michael Englehard (UAF Press) contains one of Debbie’s essays, Glad Singer.
Another new book: Alaska Geographic announces the release of Tricia Brown’s Silent Storytellers, about the totems of Bight State Historical Park, where elders worked with carvers to create a model village to help preserve the craft.
And from author Lesley Thomas comes word that one of her short stories has been accepted for Northern Review’s fall literary issue. Set in modern day Nome, the story debuts in November. “That is exciting,” says Lesley, “since I had never submitted any short fiction to anything. I didn’t know about NR until you brought it to my attention (on this blog!)”
That’s exactly our mission, sharing opportunities and bringing writers and readers together. So keep sending your news, and thanks for reading…Andromeda, much better with stats than I, reports that our regular readers have nearly doubled in the past six months. We like it.