May 2015–UAA Book Store Special Events

1.    Thursday, May 7, from 4:30 p.m. -6:00 p.m. at the UAA Campus Bookstore: Photographer Ben Huff presents his book, The Last Road North

In The Last Road North, Alaska photographer Ben Huff explores life along Dalton Highway, where “the physical and psychological line between wilderness and oil” marks the Alaska frontier. At his event, Ben shares his experience creating the book and his views about wilderness. The Last Road North is published (by) Kehrer Verlag and includes an introduction by Barry Lopez and Karen Irvine (Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago). Ben Huff first followed the road north in 2007. He lives in Juneau.

2.    Friday, May 8, from 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. at the UAA Campus Bookstore: Author Stuart Archer Cohen presents his book, This Is How It Really Sounds

This Is How it Really Sounds is a novel about three guys with the same name — a skier, a rock star and  financier. It is full of suspense and travel. Stuart Archer Cohen lives in Juneau, Alaska. He is also author of Invisible World, 17 Stone Angels, and The Army of the Republic.

3.     Sunday, May 10 from 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. at UAA/APU Consortium Library, room 307: Author Glenn Kurtz presents Three Minutes in Poland

Glenn Kurtz discusses his research and  extraordinary book, Three Minutes in Poland, Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film. “Both a memoir and an impressive feat of historical research, Three Minutes in Poland documents Kurtz’s four-year search for surviving Nasielskers, who he hopes can piece together a narrative from the fragments of film…. In a genre so often preoccupied with the recitation of horrors, Three Minutes in Poland is the rare work that seems more about people than about ghosts.” – The Washington Post. “Best Book of 2014” by The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, and National Public Radio.

Glenn Kurtz holds a PhD from Stanford University in German studies and comparative literature. He is also author of the highly acclaimed book, Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music. This event is sponsored by Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA), UAA/APU Consortium Library, Congregation Beth Sholom, and UAA Campus Bookstore. Everyone is invited to attend.

4.    Wednesday, May 13, from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. at the UAA Campus Bookstore: Fisheries Modeling and Management with Doug Butterworth and Gunnar Knapp

At this event, two experts in different fields of study come together to discuss fisheries management and science. Professor Doug Butterworth is from the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is known worldwide for his research on fisheries management and  stock assessments. Dr. Gunnar Knapp is Director of the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research. A renowned fisheries economist, he has conducted a wide variety of research on the Alaska economy and Alaska resources and is well known among both academic and industry groups for his expertise on world salmon markets.

May 15, 2015–Alaska Quarterly Review Spring/Summer Launch Party

AQR – an Alaska institution for 33 years – is set to launch its most provocative issue ever. Fiction, non-fiction and poetry by writers from Alaska and beyond, plus the extraordinary special feature: “Gaza: The Land Behind the Fence” – an essay and photographs by Eman Mohammed, the first female photojournalist in Gaza. Ms. Mohammed’s photos will be shown with musical accompaniment by Sharman Piper, principal oboist for the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. Featured Alaskan poets Gary Holthaus and Susanna Mishler will also read from their latest works. This is a literary event not to be missed. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $20.

When: May 15, 2015 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location Name: BP Energy Center
Ages: All Ages
Phone Number: 907-227-9584

April 6, 2015–Alaska Sampler 2015

Contact: Deb Vanasse / Running Fox Books                 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
info@runningfoxbooks.com
(907) 388-9303

READ AND THEY’LL COME

ALASKA SAMPLER 2015

As cuts to the state’s film subsidy program threaten the booming reality TV industry, what will be the next big draw to Alaska?

Books, of course. At least that’s what the editors at the Running Fox authors’ co-op are counting on.

Following the success of last year’s Alaska Sampler, a free e-book anthology, Running Fox is at it again, with a new volume of the Sampler plus a new website that aims to change the way readers connect with Alaska-inspired books.

“In their reviews, readers of last year’s Sampler spoke of how they read specifically to prepare for their Alaska vacations, and they urged us to issue a fresh volume each year. How could we refuse?” says Deb Vanasse, co-editor of the Sampler and founder of Running Fox Books.

In what lead editor David Marusek deems a “literary labor of love,” the Alaska Sampler 2015 features fiction, memoir, crime writing, and humor.  Among the dozen featured authors are new favorites alongside the well-recognized, including Heather Lende (If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name), C.B. Bernard (Chasing Alaska), Rich Chiappone (Opening Days), and Gerri Brightwell (Cold Country).

Aiming to move beyond the either-or thinking about e-books and print books, the Sampler relies on a unique partnership with brick-and-mortar bookshops in Homer, Palmer, Skagway, and Ketchikan.

Readers can download the Alaska Sampler 2015 for free, Alaska’s only curated online bookshop, featuring the Passage Picker, Book Your Trip (Literally), and Author Confessions.

April 8, 2015–Last Shots of Civil War Fired off Alaska’s Coast–by Liz Ruskin

Long After Civil War’s End, Rebel Raiders Fought On in Bering Sea By Liz Ruskin, APRN | April 8, 2015

One hundred and fifty years ago, on April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va. Textbooks typically say this event signaled the end of the Civil War. But a few historians make the case that the last shots of the war were actually fired from a Confederate ship off Alaska’s coast, in the Bering Sea.

Read the article.

May 7, 2015–MtViewPost.com, the hyperlocal news website about Mountain View–Kirsten Swann

Kirsten Swann is a freelance journalist who loves finding new ways to tell old stories; especially the ones here in Alaska. An Anchorage resident since grade school, she studied journalism at Michigan’s Hillsdale College and contributed to various local newspapers before returning home and covering municipal matters for the Anchorage Daily Planet, an online news startup, in 2009. She subsequently worked as a broadcast reporter then web editor for KTVA 11 News, and her writing is currently published in both Alaska Business Monthly and the Anchorage Press.

Her passion lies in MtViewPost.com, the hyperlocal news website she began publishing in spring 2014. It features writing about the people and places that make up Mountain View, where she’s lived with her husband and two dogs for more than a year now. She enjoys hearing the neighborhood’s stories and sharing them with the rest of the world, and she’s especially excited about the fusion of traditional journalism and digital innovation.

Kirsten Swan

Kirsten Swann