George Fischer wrote 19 autobiographies without ever planning to publish them. And he could have. Not only was he a talented writer and an accomplished scholar, but he had witnessed some of the most historic moments of the twentieth century. Eleanor Roosevelt talked about him in her memoirs, which she did publish. But Fischer made […]
Why Some Good Books Should Remain Unpublished by Charles Wohlforth Read More »
Author Kim Heacox’s 2023 novel, On Heaven’s Hill (OHH), has been described by novelist Kimi Eisele as “…the kind of story the planet needs right now.” It depicts a small town in coastal Alaska where a group of war veterans form an unlikely alliance with feisty schoolchildren to help defend a pack of wolves. It
A 49 WRITERS INTERVIEW WITH KIM HEACOX Read More »
Watch a recording of this event: READING AND CONVERSATION SERIES: ELISHABA DOERKSEN Recorded: Thursday, October 20 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM via Zoom Bio: Elishaba Doerksen is the oldest of fifteen children born to ex-hippies Robert and Kurina Hale—also known as Papa Pilgrim and Country Rose. She grew up in a dilapidated 341-square-foot log cabin
Reading & Conversation Series: Elishaba Doerksen Read More »
Dusk in Autumn The moon is like a scimitar, A little silver scimitar, A-drifting down the sky. And near beside it is a star, A timid twinkling golden star, That watches likes an eye. And thro’ the nursery window-pane The witches have a fire again, Just like the ones we make,— And now I know
A Poem for the Season Read More »
From the poet: I appreciate the opportunity to share three poems on the topic of “why write.” In my case, poems about the difficulty of finding time for writing. The last of the three poems is about the kind of reception I would love to have for what I have written. Poet’s Lament In
Poems by Margo Waring Read More »
Seven or eight years ago, I retired from a state job and spent years getting an MFA in writing from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Then I dragged my feet for a few more years before publishing a book of essays. Many describe the lives of friends on the Kuskokwim River of Western Alaska. You
Read This? By Dan Branch Read More »
Andre Dubus III, author of The House of Sand and Fog, wrote that bestseller 17 minutes at a time. Employed as a teacher, and also busy as a husband and father of young children, Dubus had a twice-daily routine of stopping at a cemetery parking lot, to and from work. For less than twenty minutes
Seventeen minutes By Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
The day before a frost hit our garden, August 19, our friend Frank Soos was killed in a one-person bike accident on a road in Maine. Frank spent summers on the east coast with his wife, Margo, returning each fall to Alaska and his beloved ski trails. We didn’t hear about Frank’s accident until the
About Frank, About the Garden By Mary Odden Read More »
At 49 Writers, we are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Frank Soos, beloved board member and program chair, whose contributions to Alaska’s writing community have been generous and sustained for over three decades. His wisdom, experience and steady guidance on the board were invaluable to us, and his loss leaves a big space
IN MEMORIAM: FRANK SOOS (1950-2021) Read More »
I just experienced a learning failure that makes me feel like a fish exposed to the air. That wasn’t really the first metaphor that came to mind but I wanted to share this idiom with you because Chinese idioms tickle me. In the story on which it’s based, river carp that are able to jump
