When I heard writer Eva Holland interviewed on public radio about her book Nerve, Adventures in the Science of Fear, I knew I had to read it. Holland lives in Whitehorse, Yukon and is a correspondent for Outside Magazine. In this debut work of nonfiction, Holland unpacks and dissects her debilitating struggle with a wide […]

At this very moment, I’m nervously waiting to hear back from a half-dozen authors I’ve asked to blurb a new novel coming out in 2021. Even after a lifetime of writing books, and even though I’ve served as both blurber and blurbee, I continue to be confused by peer-written testimonials. Is the key to getting

(Rainy Day Eagle, Photo by Dan Branch) On the third Friday of every month, 49 Writers profiles an Alaskan writer. Some are written for the post. This month’s profile of Homer Writer Tom Kizzia was written by Julia O’Malley for a grant from the Rasmussen Foundation. The foundation has been kind enough to allow this

Those of us lucky enough to have known or been taught by Eva Saulitis still miss her after she died in 2016. She left behind a body of writing which reveals a strong understanding of nature, love, and loss. She wrote truth with a courage that few can equal.  More than seven years ago she

(Photo by Dan Branch) When then 49 Writers Executive Director Jeremy Pataky suggested we create a podcast, I volunteered to use my skills as a former public broadcaster and produce and host it on the spot. I wanted to hear what writers were thinking and writing at this pivotal time on multiple fronts. Two years

On April 9, I was sitting in my sunny but still chilly yard, reading an engaging thriller, Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek, and thinking, “Ah, finally. I haven’t checked the news or answered texts for…an hour or more?” Back in the house, I had work and chores to do, but I didn’t want to budge from

The Covid 19 pandemic continues to diminish opportunities for Alaska writers to get the word out about their work,  The Alaskan Writers Series is an effort to help. Today, board member Dan Branch shares a profile of  Doug Pope. Cirque Press recently published his memoir, The Way to Gaamaak Cove. On August 25th at 6 P.M AST Cirque will

To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, 49 Writers is revisiting a blog post on the first Friday of each month.  For August, we’ve brought back an interview of author and editor Brian Doyle.  The post first appeared on April 19, 2016, a month before Doyle served as keynote speaker for Skagway’s North Words symposium. Even though