Whether in person or via social media, I can’t help but hear a common refrain of late. Similar discussions all related to media pieces that focus on silly distractions and spectacle created purposefully to keep people from focusing on the real issues at hand. I want to suggest that within that very refrain, while the […]
Guest Blogger Don Rearden | Make Art Not More Content Read More »
Alaskan writer Jim Rearden died on February 18, 2017 at the age of 91. Read Homer News coverage here. Somewhere in the night it occurred to me that our mentors always ultimately leave us. This is more than anything a statement of simple mathematics. When you’re a baby writer and just starting to find your
Kris Farmen | Thoughts on Jim Rearden Read More »
Now I am become Death, the shatterer of worlds, said Krishna to both Arjuna on the battlefield and Robert Oppenheimer of the Manhattan Project. These words, for not entirely obvious reasons, rattled around my head yesterday as I wandered the trails behind the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a long stick. My purpose, among other
Guest Blogger Kris Farmen: Alma Mater Read More »
There are times when empirical approaches to history simply don’t do the job. I say this both as a novelist and as a former archaeologist and historic preservation specialist with two college degrees in the subject. For example, there is a mountain in the northern part of the Wrangells called Pingpong Mountain. Back when I
Guest Blogger Kris Farmen: Desktop History Read More »
My fourth book is about to come out in print—the advance copies, in fact, may already be out by the time this post runs—and my mind lately has been dwelling on my first book, The Devil’s Share. It’s the story of a kid from Fairbanks named Jack who goes to work for a hunting lodge
Guest Blogger Kris Farmen: First Book Read More »
April is a hard season for moose, and harder still for a calf like this one who recently died near my surf shack on the Kenai Peninsula. Of the half-dozen moose that frequent the area, this one stood out because I recognized him as a two-year-old who had just been told by his mother to
Guest Blogger Kris Farmen: Blood and Guts Read More »
Juneau participants in Autogeography writing workshop with Sherry Simpson What a week it’s been, taking our Crosscurrents Southeast program of author events and creative writing classes to Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan and connecting with writers and lovers of books in the rainforest region of the state (yes, it has rained every single day but that
Linda: 49 Writers Weekly Roundup Read More »
Not too long ago, I was talking to a group of bookstore employees and presenting our newest title, “Weathered Edge,” when one of the young women in the group asked if what I do (publishing and selling books) is difficult. She then stated that if I loved what I did, that it must not be
Vered Mares: Tonight’s Crosscurrents "On The Edge of Publishing" Read More »
This week we launched our annual membership drive, with the goal of bringing many new supporters into the 49 Writers community. If you follow this blog and enjoy reading the wide variety of posts by regular and guest bloggers, please consider making a financial commitment to the organization. Because we are a community-based nonprofit, your
Linda: 49 Writers Weekly Roundup Read More »
Tom Kizzia’s long-awaited book, Pilgrim’s Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier, is now in bookstores! You can read an excerpt here on the Anchorage Daily News website and check out Jeremy Pataky’s July 16 interview with Tom Kizzia on this blog. There are several upcoming opportunities to learn more
49 Writers Weekly Roundup Read More »
