Dear friends and readers,

My most recent book, Rock, Water, Wild: An Alaskan Life (University of Nebraska Press, 2009) has gotten some nice reviews. Read a particularly thoughtful one by Brian Keenan in The Northern Review here. Read another by Fairbanksan David James. There's also this at High Country News by Michael Engelhard.

See my book page, for more information about RWW, including a link for ordering.

Look for my guest blog posts at 49 Writers, which is a terrific blog by Alaskan writers about Alaskan writing and much more. To see my contributions, simply click on my photo on the righthand side of that page. My last post (Feb. 10) was a preview of the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference.

Also at 49 Writers, there's an interview with me on Feb. 15 about my book, in preparation for the on-line book club discussion of it March 1 and 2.

Last month I was honored to be named Artist of the Year by the Homer Council on the Arts and also to be asked to speak at HCOA's annual meeting. I was also a finalist for the Ocean Media Award of the inaugural Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards, for my book Beluga Days.

I've been thinking about poet Lucille Clifton, who died a few days ago. She visited Alaska quite a few years ago and made a huge impression on me. I always hoped I would see her again. She famously said, "One should wish to celebrate more than wish to be celebrated."

This coming summer I'll be on the faculties of both the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference and the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. It's not too early to think about registering for either one. I'm also happy to report that I've been invited to be "writer in residence" at Denali National Park for ten days in August.

Last, a spot of good beluga news. The National Marine Fisheries Service has at long last proposed critical habitat for the Cook Inlet belugas. The comment period is open until March 3, and the actual areas of protected habitat or conditions of protections can still be modified. (Certain special interests are doing their best to limit protections.) See Cook Inletkeeper for more information, and feel free to submit your own comments in support of the habitat proposal.

For now,

Nancy