Summertide blew us away!
No, seriously.
Gusts of wind and pelting rain whooshed against the southside Anchorage home where folks hung out in a cozy living room talking about writing and reading their work.
Longtime members and newbies alike cycled from writing prompt to writing prompt at tables spread throughout the house. For nourishment, they stacked their Alaska grown baked potatoes with freshly cooked bacon bits, chopped green onions pulled from a local garden, and an assortment of toppings.
You might call it another classic 49 Writers summer writing and fundraising event, except it was our first attempt at asking Alaskans to come inside between June and September; you know, when the fish run and the sun shines… but it turns out the weather made “inside” a good place to hang out.
The fundraising results blew us away, too. While the wind pounded against the windows and turned tree branches into whirling pinwheels, everyone inside sipped mineral water or cracked cans of beer or savored wine while sharing what they had written that day or months before. They also bid on auction items donated by local businesses—our first time doing an auction at one of our fundraising events. In total, we raised nearly $3,000 that will help fund future programs and support Alaska’s literary community.
The items ranged from a basket of bars from Wildland Chocolate to books to gift cards from The Writer’s Block and The Bear Tooth to Great Harvest bread and a basket of Summit Tea and so much more. We are so grateful to the many sponsors and donors for this event, who are listed in full at the bottom of this article.
Though modest in number, the group of folks who came out joined in fully. They wrote, read, bid, ate, talked to people they had never met, and celebrated words in all their beauty and might. A handful of people made it to all six writing prompts and walked away with prizes for tackling the full scope of prompts, and that’s exactly what 49 Writers supports—Alaskans getting their words onto paper, their words out into the world.
Toward the end of the party, after the cake was cut and the bid sheets picked up and the list of folks reading work complete, things started flying outside. The squall blew off branches, tipped over the wine glasses left outside, and shoved heavy chairs across the deck.
Then the lights went out.
Outside, a small table tucked at the end of a narrow walkway was unscathed—its writing prompt, Haruki Marakama’s “Kafka on the Shore,” unmoved by the storm.
49 Writers would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors and donors for this event:
● Wild Scoops
● Edible Alaska
● The Writer’s Block Bookstore and Cafe
● Anchorage Museum
● Twin Flower Fancies
● Salmon Berry Travel and Tours
● Kat’s Epic Trail Bites
● Blaine’s Art
● Cirque Journal
● Summit Spice & Tea
● Anchorage Yoga
● Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop
● Great Harvest Bread Co.
● DJ Aud Pleas Spin
● Fireweed Cleaners
● Bagoy’s
● The Lexington Salon and Spa
● University of Alaska Anchorage
● Kaladi Brothers Coffee
● Green Connection
● Moose’s Tooth/Bear Tooth/Broken Tooth
● The Kobuk
● Costco