I’ve spent the past couple of weeks, aside from hiking and camping, in the Alaska Room at the Loussac Library, poring through old books about Alaska – specifically, dozens of books in the public domain, published before 1923. The books run quite the gamut. Everyone who’d visited the territory in those days had stories to […]
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I had a wonderful dinner last night in Girdwood, at Alaska’s famous Double Musky restaurant. Stunning scenery, savory food, great company – a new friend and one I’d known years ago. In the way things happen here, my new friend knew my old friend, and she re-connected us. My “old” friend, who’s very young at
Suspend disbelief and enjoy Cherie Stihler’s new reverse counting book, Polar Polka (Sasquatch,2008). Fanciful arctic animals join a polar bear polka band as pieces of iceberg break away and polar bears rally to save the day. Vibrant art by Erik Brooks brings the story to life, incorporating lots of active details that encourage kids to
Polar bears are big news these days. Are they threatened? Endangered? Alaska’s Governor Sarah Palin is calling for a spendy conference to showcase scientific evidence that they’re doing more or less fine despite the threat of global warming. Politics and science collide. In Jane Davies Okimoto’s new picture book Winston of Churchill, illustrated by Jeremiah
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A friend loaned me her copy of Jennifer Brice’s memoir Unlearning to Fly, published in 2007 by the University of Nebraska Press. My friend couldn’t get past the Preface, for reasons I’ll explain. I pushed on through, and I’m glad I did. There’s no shortage of Alaskan memoirs. It’s hard to find an Alaskan who
My friend just got a Kindle. Like lots of people, she had to wait. The electronic reader from Amazon sold out in 5 1/2 hours. Some caveats: I’m not a techie. I love my independent bookstore. I love my library. I’m not one to chase after the latest gadgets. I’m not an industry analyst. I
Like most everyone in Alaska this time of year, I’m thinking of spring. The other seasons saddle on in as a matter of course. Not spring. No matter where you live, it’s much anticipated and prone to disappoint. Last week we were sure it had arrived in Southcentral Alaska. On Friday we got 20 inches
I’m assisting with an anthology slated to come out later this year, a collection of narratives by some of the world’s best mystery writers who, thanks to the astounding efforts of Alaska Sisters in Crime, visited some of the farthest-flung corners of Alaska, places that many of us will never be privileged to see. More
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What makes an Alaskan? Author and professor Steve Haycox addressed the perennial question in last Friday’s Anchorage Daily News. Alaska is more place than state, making for a more interesting discussion than one might asking “what is an Illini” or “what is a Minnesotan?” Haycox cites the research of UAF professor and author Judith Kleinfeld,
Seasons shift with subtle changes, especially in the Far North. Crocus and daffodils will never grace the tundra, where spring faces brown from sun glaring off the snow. Across Alaska, snow reshapes into icy granules. River ice cracks and tumbles off to sea. Fresh snow glistening with meltwater clings to the mountains. Snow shakes off
