Welcome to the last August round-up! Fall is definitely approaching.
If you weren’t one of the 30 people at the 49 Writers Joe McGinniss reading at Metro Music and Books last night (see our photo, above), you missed out some great dialogue with a nonfiction master:
- On Alaska: “I always wanted to come back.”
- On the nonfiction process: “I can’t write while I’m out here talking to people, because writing is an all-encompassing activity.”
- On publishing: “Publishing is in desperate, desperate shape. It’s a terrible time to be a writer…Right now, it’s pretty grim.”
- On the subject of his next book: “Sarah Palin is probably the most atypical Alaskan in the state.” Actually, he answered several questions on Sarah Palin’s Year of Living Dangerously – he spoke about the attitude of his neighbors on one side and the friendliness of most folks in Wasilla in contrast and about the fear some of his interview subjects expressed. For details, you’ll have to wait for the book.
- On the book David Vann reads from next week: : “That’s the best Alaskan book I’ve ever read, and one of the best novels I’ve ever read, period.”
Vann reads from his Legend of a Suicide on Thursday September 2nd, same place (Metro Books), same time (6:30 pm). Book signings will follow. It’s not too early to start thinking of the holidays. Autographed books make great gifts!
49 Writers classes start soon: don’t forget to check out the 49 Alaska Writing Center for detailed course offerings and to register. If you register by Aug. 31, you’ll be entered in a drawing for our new raven tote bag. The odds are good for this giveaway; don’t lose out.
And don’t forget to pick up a copy of our next 49 Writers book club selection A Man of His Village by Tanyo Ravicz. We understand Metro Books has some on order, and of course you can also find it online.
Also coming soon: the deadline for nominations for the Governor’s Award in the Arts and Humanities is September 1st 2010. In order to be considered, nominations (the form is available online) must be received by 5 pm on Wednesday September 1st. Awards will be presented at the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities at the Princess Riverside Lodge in Fairbanks on October 21st, 2010. For reservation information, go to http://www.eed/state.gov.us/aksca. For more information, contact The Alaska State Council on the Arts at (907) 269-6610 or (1 800) 278-7424 or email christa.ray1@alaska.gov
Congratulations to 49 Writers member Stephanie Jaeger, whose first article, “My Free $10,000 Dog,” appears in a recent issue of Alaska Dog News. She also has an article forthcoming in Senior Voice.
Fairbanks author Debbie Miller has published a new book for young readers about the winter adaptations of Arctic animals, titled Survival At 40 Below