It’s somehow appropriate as the huge midnight parties are gearing up for Stephanie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn (2.4 million copies? 4 million copies? I have trouble with these big numbers.), Oprah is kicking off her list of 100 recommended reads for kids. I have nothing personal against Oprah. I like what she did with Eckhart Tolle, […]

A strange, shiny disk in yesterday’s sky. Not to worry – it slipped away before it caused any permanent damage. Hmmm…maybe that’s what those dark shades are for? Yesterday brought more big news for Alaska. Sarah breathed a big sigh of relief when Uncle Ted got indicted, diverting the pariahs from chewing and re-chewing news

We’re making the best of a bad summer, weatherwise. La Nina is the culprit. Rumor has it that we’re on the way to setting records for cold and rain. By way of comfort, the weather people tell us it’s supposed to warm up in October, just in time to screw up our skiing. But nobody

Duly noted – though a bit late – the twelve-day writing intensive at the University of Alaska Anchorage, ending this week. UAA has wisely developed a low-residency MFA program, headed by Sherry Simpson (you’ll recall I’m a fan). The instensive gives students a chance to interact with over a dozen authors, with each author presenting

Summer’s squeeze-it-in time up North. I’ve covered a lot of ground these last few weeks – 4000 miles, give or take a few. Great adventures in the Yukon, NWT, and of course Alaska. If you get a chance to drive the Dempster, don’t ask – just do it. Incredible wilderness that surpasses the Dalton by

If you’re looking for a great summer read, check out Sherry Simpson’s latest – The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska. I’m a big Simpson fan. In Alaska Magazine, she writes with wit and insight about Alaskan adventures. But the essays in this collection are heavier. More serious. Just the word essay brings that out in

A few weeks ago I posted on the Kindle and its potential effect on the publishing industry. A New York Times Op-Ed piece by Paul Krugman – Bits, Bands, and Books – has more to say about how the world is changing for authors and publishers. He points to the Grateful Dead, who proclaimed that

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks, aside from hiking and camping, in the Alaska Room at the Loussac Library, poring through old books about Alaska – specifically, dozens of books in the public domain, published before 1923. The books run quite the gamut. Everyone who’d visited the territory in those days had stories to

I had a wonderful dinner last night in Girdwood, at Alaska’s famous Double Musky restaurant. Stunning scenery, savory food, great company – a new friend and one I’d known years ago. In the way things happen here, my new friend knew my old friend, and she re-connected us. My “old” friend, who’s very young at

Suspend disbelief and enjoy Cherie Stihler’s new reverse counting book, Polar Polka (Sasquatch,2008). Fanciful arctic animals join a polar bear polka band as pieces of iceberg break away and polar bears rally to save the day. Vibrant art by Erik Brooks brings the story to life, incorporating lots of active details that encourage kids to