Danger Close Alaska began as a matter of envy. My first UAA MFA residency recently concluded, I was deployed to Africa in the summer of 2014. I missed the thrill of workshop, of being surrounded with the creative buzz that surrounded craft talks, the rush of responding to prompts that unlocked story ideas and forms
Six Years of Danger Close Alaska by Matt Komatsu Read More »
CROSSCURRENTS ANCHORAGE: BRIAN CASTNER Moderated by Matt Komatsu Saturday April 16, 2022 7 PM-8:30 PM The Anchorage Museum, 625 C Street Anchorage, Alaska Mark your calendars and join us for a Crosscurrents conversation with Brian Castner and Matt Komatsu. Brian Castner is a nonfiction writer, former Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer, and veteran of the Iraq
Crosscurrents Anchorage: Brian Castner and Matt Komatsu Read More »
CROSSCURRENTS FAIRBANKS: BRIAN CASTNER Moderated by Chris Miles Thursday April 14, 2022 7 PM-8:30 PM Centennial Center Exhibit Hall, Pioneer Park Fairbanks, Alaska Register for the event HERE. Mark your calendars and join us for a Crosscurrents conversation with Brian Castner and Chris Miles. Brian Castner is a nonfiction writer, former Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer,
Crosscurrents Fairbanks: Brian Castner and Chris Miles Read More »
Someone told me the other day that he and his friends used to say, “If summer is on a Saturday this year, we should have a barbecue!” He was from Wyoming, but it seemed like a very Alaskan sentiment too. We race around taking in as much daylight and good weather as we can, and
Literary Roundup | June 15-21, 2018 Read More »
SOUTHCENTRAL ANCHORAGE | Wednesday, May 23, Danger Close Alaska with Don Rearden We’re proud to present the 2018 offering of Danger Close Alaska, the third year of joint 49 Writers and Alaska Humanities Forum programming meant to build a literary community of civilians and veterans. Everyone is welcome to attend. This year, Danger Close Alaska takes place one night
Literary Roundup | May 18-24, 2018 Read More »
I’ve been thinking lately about the role of literary non-profit organizations (NPOs). NPOs in general are near and dear to my heart: my wife and I have been involved in some form or fashion with a variety of NPOs for the past eight years. But let’s be honest. NPOs, especially the small ones, are filled
Matthew Komatsu | Why I Joined (Another Non-Profit Board) Read More »
Dear Reader, Ever since we wrapped up Danger Close Alaska, I’ve been wondering what the future would hold for an effort like this. Thing is, you do something like this, and maybe it was great, but then maybe it never happens again. Years pass, interest wanes, and then a decade from now, some young writer
Guest Blogger Matt Komatsu: Ahead Read More »
Dear Reader, It went well, to answer your question regarding Danger Close Alaska. Really well. So well that the participants didn’t have time to finish the enormous pile of junk food I fretted over at Costco last week, thinking it would never be enough. But maybe this isn’t the best metric. It’s easy enough to
Guest Blogger Matt Komatsu: The Rearview Read More »
I’ve been listening all weekend at the Danger Close: Alaska workshop. I have so much respect for writers learning to offer their heart connections in the most perfect words possible. Stories passed from heart to heart. A Story That Could Be True If you were exchanged in the cradle and your real mother died without
A Story That Could Be True Read More »
Nothing like a little seismic instability to get you considering the durability of where you store your writing. After the 7.1 shaker we had early morning January 24, a member of 49 Writers reached out to me to ask about storing his writing in “the Cloud.” He faithfully backs up his computer on an external
What is the Durability of Your Writing? Read More »