Blog
Dear Mr. President,
Every few weeks I write President Trump, because it seems wrong to give up even though I’m far from the troubles and it would be very easy to ignore the world at large. Especially on a sunny day in August. When I was on the Haines Borough Assembly, I learned that no...
In the Spirit of September
September 11 was Chip's birthday, and it is always a little odd, both remembering and celebrating. Still, one thing I choose to hold onto about the terrorist attacks twenty years ago, is that everyone who was trapped in the towers or the Pentagon or on the plane that...
A Little Sept. Post Card
September is busting out all over. The good news is the bears are feeding on salmon in the river and look fat and happy, and that other hungry bear has not returned to the cabin, but Trixie still won't come inside. Also, we have had no Covid updates since last week,...
Of Bears and Burglars
So, we hiked up to the cabin to set up a tree stand for moose hunting and found that a bear had broken in the night before ( we are pretty sure, as we had been up there earlier in the week, and it had rained and the bear dragged in a lot of mud.) It was a shock. It...
Joy Harjo’s Spirits Take Hold
My first big event as Alaska Writer Laureate has been postponed because of Covid. I was supposed to introduce Joy Harjo, the Poet Laureate of the United States at an event at the Anchorage Museum on Sept. 10, but the Delta variant has other plans. I expected this,...
Sunday’s Thought
My friend Frank Soos ( a former Alaska Writer Laureate) has died riding his bike. It was an accident, I heard his wheel came off.I cannot explain how sad I feel right now, but I can tell you what another poet friend of mine, Naomi Nye says: "People do not pass away....
Finding the Good
It takes no special talent to see what’s ugly, numbing, depressing, and death-dealing in our world. But staying aware of what's good, true, and beautiful demands that we open our eyes, minds, and hearts, and keep them open. –Parker Palmer Spend time thinking (and...