“What’s in a title?” riffs David Petersen in Writing Naturally, his down-to-earth guide for aspiring nature writers. A good title, he answers himself, must grab a browsing reader’s attention, foreshadow what is to follow, and prompt you to flip over a book for its back cover text or, more likely nowadays, click on its link […]
Mao’s Head: The Quest for the Perfect Title by Michael Engelhard Read More »
Tell me, what is it you plan to do / With your one wild and precious life? Mary Oliver Today I want to talk about rabbit holes, both good and bad. Last month, I fell down a bad rabbit hole after reading about a forthcoming book and becoming interested in its author. Long story
The Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference was established in 2002. That’s twenty-two years of writers gathering on the shores of Kachemak Bay to learn from each other and form a community that includes members from all across Alaska and the lower-48. Like many long-established events, the conference is trying to evolve to meet the changing needs
Behind the Scenes at the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference by Erin Hollowell Read More »
We often pair horror with mortal fear—the sense that one’s life and limb is in danger, but let me tell you a story of true horror. My parents were artists—painters and etchers—which means I spent an inordinate amount of my childhood at art shows, stealing chocolates from the finger food table and generally being underfoot.
The Role of Embarrassment in Horror by Leslie J. Anderson Read More »
Over the winter, I spent some time driving to an undisclosed location in the desert with two anarchist medics I’d not met before. The person driving asked me and the other passenger, “What are you reading right now?” You can count on anarchists to never open a conversation with a question about your job. And
Haunted By Futility or Saving the World: Writing Climate Crisis by Erica Watson Read More »
Inspired by a friend who applied for, and received, a three-month internship at a honeybee sanctuary during the pandemic, in early 2021 I applied for more than a dozen writing residencies. Like so many other submissions, this was mostly met with rejection. But also like so much of this work, putting in an initial effort
Residency? by Ken Waldman Read More »
As soon as I saw Kachemak Bay, I knew I wanted to stay. Nature had created a beautiful Claude Monet painting, and I couldn’t help but admire it. The spectacular landscape showed all the colors of early autumn everywhere I looked. It was late August, and the lush valleys around me were covered with fields
As Soon as I Saw Kachemak Bay by Anette Coggins Read More »
In twenty years of submitting novels for publication, I’ve never received an email from an agent or editor saying, “I can’t take this manuscript, the setting wasn’t clear enough.” Or “…the descriptions weren’t vivid enough.” Or “…I wasn’t dazzled by your use of metaphor or simile.” All of those elements are important, and I do
The Top Reason for Novel Rejections by Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
Terabithia. Green Gables. Hogwarts. Walnut Grove. Our youth is often defined by the books we pored over in the school cafeteria or insisted on reading “just one more page” late on a school night. Whether your worlds were fantasy, historical, dystopian, or something else, I’ll bet they’re deep in those still-existent childhood recesses of your
So You Want to Write for Kids by Tina Tocco Read More »
In June 2020, shortly after the University of Alaska Board of Regents voted to cut UAA’s master of fine arts program in creative writing, David Onofrychuk filled out paperwork to launch a new MFA in Creative Writing program at Alaska Pacific University. As associate professor of creative writing and composition at APU since 2010, and
Writing the Next Chapter in Anchorage’s MFA Narrative by Emily Tallman Read More »
