Alaska Book Week
Alaska Book Week is a statewide celebration, coordinated by the Alaska Center for the Book, that annually celebrates the multi-faceted ways that we appreciate books, from readings to panels, lectures, discussions, and youth activities. Alaska Book Week takes place around the first week in October.
Welcome to Alaska Book Week. Live events will be taking place during the next few days. Please support these Alaska authors. Also enjoy the videos and podcasts that are linked in event descriptions. Archived videos and podcasts from previous years are also available in the Alaska Book Week tab in the menu at the top of the page.
For more information contact the Book Week Coordinator at akbookweek@gmail.com
Click this link for an easy-to-read pdf copy of the schedule to download or print.
Introductory Video
Evan Swenson at Publication Consultants has put together a video for us that introduces Alaska Book Week. View it here.
This event is part of the Annual Fall Conference for Writers and Illustrators, October 4th and 5th. The panel will be held during the main part of the conference on the 5th. Find more about the conference here.
Debut Authors Panel
Come meet local debut authors, Jena Benton, Susan Pope and Neva Post as they share their journey into publishing in the current market. both traditional and self-published. Bring questions and prepare for your own publishing journey by learning about what they wish they knew then that they know now. Jena Benton is a traditionally published picture book author of Kauai’s Call, Island Heritage Press 2024. Susan Pope is a traditionally published memoir author of Rivers and Ice, Riddle Brook Publishing 2024. Neva Post is a self/independently published author of Alaska Yeti Series, Icicle Ink 2023/24.
Click author photo for biography.
UAA Graduates Poetry Reading
Saturday, October 5, Noon to 1:00 pm
Writers Block Bookstore
Keila Aurelio and Katalyna Moua, UAA English Department graduates, read from their chapbook projects.
Katalyna Moua graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a BA programmatic honors in English in 2024
Keila Aurelio graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She received a BA with programmatic honors in English in 2024.
Willie Hensley Interviews Lily Tuzroyluke
Willie Iggiagruk Hensley interviews Lily Tuzroyluke about Sivulliq: Ancestor, her debut novel and about the book she is currently working on. That book is about indigenous residential schools in Canada in the 1950s.
In a second video, Lily Tuzroyluke reads from the book she is currently working on. Please note that the content includes a description of child sexual abuse.
Willie Hensley
Willie Iggiagruk Hensley, author of Fifty Miles from Tomorrow, was a founder of the Northwest Alaska Native Association and spent twenty years working for its successor, the Iñuit-owned NANA Regional Corporation. He also helped establish the Alaska Federation of Natives in 1966 and has served as its director, executive director, president, and co-chair. He spent ten years in the Alaska state legislature as a representative and senator, and recently retired from his position in Washington, D.C., as manager of federal government relations for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Hensley and his wife, Abigale, live in Anchorage, where—now an Iñupiat elder—he is the chair of the board of trustees for the First Alaskans Institute.
Lily Tuzroyluke
Lily Tuzroyluke, author of Sivulliq: Ancestor, is an Indigenous writer from Alaska and Canada. She is a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and previously served in Tribal Government. Lily now resides in Anchorage, Alaska.
Link to the YouTube interview here.
Link to the YouTube video of Lily Tuzroyluke reading from her new novel here.
Note: This reading contains a description of child sexual abuse.
Writing the Hard Parts: Sharing Stories of Grief, Trauma, and Healing
One of an author’s biggest challenges is writing about grief, whether it’s the pain of a dysfunctional family, the loss of a loved one, violence, substance abuse, extreme physical or mental anguish. Join two Alaska authors—Marian Elliot and Matthew Komatsu—who have tackled those challenges and who now encourage other writers to work past the fear and intimidation that can come with writing about “the hard parts.”
Moderated by Carol Sturgulewski.
Matthew Komatsu
Matthew Komatsu is an award-winning author, currently serving veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and graduate of the University of Alaska-Anchorage’s MFA in Creative Writing. In 2016, he founded Danger Close Alaska, helping veterans and active military build community through writing. He continues to work with writing therapy programs at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. He is also nonfiction editor for the journal War, Literature and the Arts.
Marian Elliot
Marian Elliott is the author of the memoir Out of the Dark (Cirque Press, 2024). It is her story of the death of her son, the crumbling of her marriage, and creating a new life in rural Alaska. She was born in New York City and grew up in Brooklyn, NY and the Long Island suburb.. She is a graduate of UAA and a retired elementary school teacher. Her short story “In Its Place” won a UAA/ADN creative writing prize for fiction. She and her husband Dan divide their time between their home at their apple orchard in Wasilla, Alaska and their cabin in the foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains.
The Puzzling Writer
Jen Funk-Weber
Jen-Funk Weber began writing professionally while working as a winter caretaker for remote lodges in Alaska, often passing six months or more with no electricity, running water, or human neighbors. Jen has written numerous puzzle and activity books, including books for Hollywood movies like Nancy Drew and The Spiderwick Chronicles and books for video games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing. Most recently, Jen’s written the Puzzler’s Guide series, which started with The Puzzler’s Guide to Alaska and was followed by The Puzzler’s Guide to Oregon. The series continues with the October 8th release of The Puzzler’s Guide to California
Link to this video
on YouTube here.
Writers with New Books
Author David Stevenson interviews four writers with newly published books. This interview features
Rich Chiappone, Judith Lethin, Lisa Roderick, and Jon Waterman.
Click author photo for biography.
Thomas McGuire & Rosemary McGuire: Father and Daughter Alaska Authors Discuss a Lifetime of Shared Stories
Tom McGuire and Rosemary McGuire talk about their writing careers, writing fiction and non-fiction that draws from their experiences in Alaska, and how to write about those experiences in meaningful ways.
Click author photos for biographies.
Click to link to the YouTube video of the McGuire’s discussion.
Interview with Melinda Moustakis
Melinda Moustakis is the author of the novel Homestead (Flatiron Books 2023) which was named an NPR Best Book of the Year and a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. It was also selected as the Alaska’s Great Reads adult title in 2024 for the National Book Festival. Her short story collection, Bear Down, Bear North: Alaska Stories, won the Flannery O’Connor Award and was a 5 Under 35 selection by the National Book Foundation. She is the recipient of the O.Henry Prize, the Hodder Fellowship, the NEA Literature Fellowship, the Kenyon Review Fellowship, the Jenny McKean Moore Fellowship, and the Rona Jaffe Cullman Fellowship at the NYPL.
Mary Jones is the author of the short story collection The Goodbye Process (Zibby Books 2024). Of the
collection, Mary Otis observed that “In these exquisite and emotionally distilled stories, Jones illuminates
the mysterious corners of grief and grace with poignancy and spiky humor.” Aimee Bender added that
she was “moved and wowed by how much Jones packed into a moment, how swiftly she could conjure a
person. That “her words have these subtle magnets in them, drawing a reader close. Thrilling abundance
here.” In addition to Alaska Quarterly Review, her stories and essays have appeared in many journals
including Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, Subtropics, EPOCH, Epiphany, Santa Monica
Review, Brevity and elsewhere. The recipient of a summer prose fellowship from The University of
Arizona Poetry Center, her work has been cited as notable in The Best American Essays and appeared in
The Best Microfiction 2022. She teaches fiction writing at UCLA Extension.
Click photo for biography.
Sunday, October 6,
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Writer’s Block Bookstore
Rich Chiappone Reading Places Characters in a Vast and Unforgiving Arctic Wilderness
Rich Chiaponne will read from his new book Uncommon Weather: Alaska Stories. This book is “an eclectic mix of character-driven stories that deliver a panoramic picture of Alaska— from the cold city streets of Anchorage to picturesque but emotionally treacherous small Alaska towns; from the rough-and-tumble commercial fishing world of the distant Aleutian Islands to a remote river in the Brooks Range, where the vast and unforgiving Arctic wilderness puts romance to a severe test.” Link to publisher.
Trekking the Brooks Range and Embracing Wilderness with Michael Engelhard
In this podcast produced by 10 Adventures, Michael Engelhard, author of Arctic Traverse: A Thousand Mile Summer of Trekking the Books Range, talks about the beauty, challenges, and significance of hiking the almost uninhabited wilderness of Alaska’s Brooks Range.
Trained as an anthropologist with a degree from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Michael
Engelhard worked for twenty-five years as a wilderness guide and as an outdoor instructor in youth
programs. The editor of four anthologies and author of Ice Bear, a cultural history of the polar bear, he has won three Alaska Press Club Awards and a Rasmuson Individual Artist Award. His recent books include the memoir Arctic Traverse as well as the Grand Canyon essay collection No Walk in the Park. Articles by him have appeared in publications from Outside to Sierra to National Parks, with more than a hundred in Alaska magazine. A one-time Nome resident, Engelhard is currently writing a book about the Bering Strait seen through the lens of that storied city.
October 8
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Wasilla Public Library (500 N Crusey St., Wasilla AK)
An Evening with Tricia Brown in Honor of The Queen of Fairbanks
Moderator: Carol Sturgulewski
Sponsored By: 49 Writers, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Friends of Wasilla Public Library, Wasilla Public Library, Alaska Center for the Book
About the Book: Irene Mary Sherman (1911-1995) was America’s northernmost bag lady for decades, walking or pedaling the streets of the town she loved while spreading her unique brand of friendship. Born into a pioneer gold-mining family, Irene was terribly burned in a cabin fire at age five, and she bore those scars—physically and mentally—for life. A picture of resilience as she marched around town in many layers of old clothes, Irene was warmly applauded on her three-wheeled cycle in the annual Golden Days Parade. In this frontier town known for its individualism, Irene’s story embodies the grace and goodness of its people. More…
This event is free and open to the public; pre-registration is encouraged.
John Straley is the author of thirteen previous crime novels. He is a former Alaska Writer Laureate. He has won a Shamus Award and a Spotted Owl. His books have been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and
on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He has worked professionally as a wilderness guide, a horseshoer, and for thirty years as a private investigator in Alaska.
A Conversation with John Straley
Join Nancy Lord and John Straley for a discussion of John’s books and career. John’s forthcoming novel, Big Breath In, features a retired marine biologist turned amateur sleuth .Click here to link to the YouTube video of the discussion.
Big Breath In
Diagnosed with terminal cancer, retired marine biologist Delphine is on the brink of throwing in the towel. She has outlived her PI husband and worries she’s become a burden to her son and his growing family. One night, while contemplating how to go on, Delphine witnesses a violent argument between a man and his girlfriend. When Delphine discovers the woman has gone missing along with her young child, Delphine embarks on a quest to find them. More…
Nancy Lord is a former Alaska Writer Laureate and author of ‘Early Warming,’ ‘Rock, Water, Wild’ and other books of fiction and nonfiction.
Celebrating John Haines
Lila Vogt, Heather Lende, and Toby Widdicombe join author Rachel Epstein to celebrate and discuss the publication of May the Owl Call Again: A Return to Poet John Meade Haines, 1924-2011.
Link to the YouTube video here.
Click on photo for biography.
Losing the Plot: Elements of Fiction that Keep Us Hooked
Jamey Bradbury, author of The Wild Inside, and Sharon Emmerichs, author of Shield Maiden, discuss story elements in their writing—with a focus on character and setting as it relates to plot.
Click on photo for biography.
Writing Historical Fiction
Erik Hirschmann, Lily Tuzroyluke, Kris Farmen, and Ewoyn Ivey discuss the challenges of writing historical fiction.
Monday, October 7, 6:00 p.m. at Alaska Pacific University in the auditorium on the ground floor of the Carr Gottstein building.
From Jet Set to Dip Nets: Writing Ethically about Places Foreign and Familiar
In Alaska, the way we view the land where we live matters. Whether writing fiction or venturing to the grocery store, our interactions with this northern landscape remain unique. Join author and APU professor John Messick as he shares excerpts from his book and discusses the complexities of writing about travel while figuring out what it means when a writer decides to call a place home.
John Messick is a teacher, husband, father, and the author of the book Compass Lines: Journeys Toward Home. His work has appeared in news outlets and literary journals, including Rock & Sling, Tampa Review, Nowhere Magazine, The Miami Herald, Anchorage Daily News, and more. John earned his MFA at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has been awarded the 2013 AWP Intro Journals Prize in nonfiction and a 2022 Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award. He teaches at Alaska Pacific University and lives in Soldotna, Alaska, with his family.
A Library Conversation with the New Administration
Anchorage has a new mayoral administration, and a search for a new library director is underway. What’s ahead for Anchorage Public Library? Join Friends of the Library and municipal representatives in a conversation about the library’s future. Topics could include new staffing, upcoming changes to the Alask Room, a downtown library, the library as a community center–what’s on your mind?
The discussion is part of the Friends of the Library annual meeting Wednesday, Oct. 9 in the Ann Stevens Room at Loussac Library in Anchorage. Reception at 5:30 pm, Friends of the Library annual meeting at 6:15, and discussion at 7 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Friends of the Library is a nonprofit group that raises awareness about Anchorage libraries, and funding for books, programs, and materials. Click here for more information.
Meet Local Author Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson, author of It’s Only Fishing, will read from his recent book Chasing The Dark and discuss the adventures and misadventures he experienced while “chasing the dark and seeking the fins, furs, and flurries of wings beyond it.”
Joseph Jackson is a social studies teacher and outdoor writer in Alaska. His work has appeared in many publications such as Gray’s Sporting Journal, Fly Fisherman, The Drake, Alaska Magazine, and others, where his wife, Emmie, also publishes much of her photography. When he’s not getting up early to chase rainbow trout or hunt ptarmigan, he’s learning how to be a father to the world’s next greatest fly-fisherwoman.
Thursday, October 10,
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. @ Title Wave Books
Erin Coughlin Hollowell is the author of the poetry collections Pause, Traveler (2013) and Every Atom (2018), both published by Boreal Books, and Corvus and Crater published by Salmon Poetry in 2023. Her work was featured in an exhibit at the Anchorage Museum entitled Water Stories: Visual Poetics and Collective Voices by artist Andrea Wollensak. In addition to Alaska Quarterly Review, she has appeared in Poetry Ireland Review, Orion Magazine, Terrain.org, Prairie Schooner, and featured on the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day website. Hollowell’s poetry has been recognized by awards from the Rasmuson FoundaMon, a Connie Boochever Award, and an Alaska Literary Award. She directs the Storyknife Writers Retreat and the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference. Of her poetry, Luis Alberto Urrea said this: “There comes a moment in every Erin Coughlin Hollowell poem when the heart threatens to burst open and spill light.”
Puzzle answer: Nothing beats chillin’ with a good book!
