I live and write on Lingít Aaní, and gratefully acknowledge the past, present and future caretakers of this beautiful place, the Jilkaat Kwaan and Jilkoot Kwaan.
Of Bears and Burglars

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

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

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...
Finding the Good

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...
So Far, So… Okay? (I Hope?)

So Far, So… Okay? (I Hope?)

I was able to go to the grocery store Monday, finally, because I did not test positive and am not sick, and it had been ten days since I was with the kids. They are doing much better but still quarantining (thank you for prayers and good thoughts, it mattered),  so I...
A Quick Update

A Quick Update

In case you were worried, there were no floods and we didn’t have mud slides. The storm front blew through. The Covid count is rising, though. 62 now, officially, as of yesterday. That is all we know right now. Information is sparse.  But as my daughter says,...