SUSAN ORLEAN COMES TO ANCHORAGE

CROSSCURRENTS SERIES:   To Tell the Truth: Writing People and Place

Friday, April 1, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Anchorage Museum Auditorium at Rasmuson Center

Nationally-acclaimed author and frequent New Yorker contributor Susan Orlean joins Alaska journalist Julia O’Malley for an onstage conversation about people, place, and truth in writing.  How does one capture the extraordinary within the ordinary?  Which places make the best stories?  In what sense are all stories journeys? O’Malley will moderate this lively discussion with reference to Orlean’s books The Orchid Thief, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup, and My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who’s Been Everywhere.   A question and answer session and book-signing will follow.  There is no charge for 49 Writers and museum members; a $5 donation is suggested for non-members.   Co-sponsored by the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Bookstore, the Alaska Travel Industry Association, and the Copper Whale Inn.

SYNGERGIES SERIES KICKS OFF WITH POETS JOHN MORGAN AND KELSEA HABECKER PLUS A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO JOHN HAINES

Saturday, April 16, 7- 9 pm, MTS Gallery in Mountain View, 3142 Mountain View Drive

Poetry fans will enjoy a great way to celebrate poetry month with "Land Beyond Landscape: Honoring Alaskan Poetry," the inaugural event in our Synergies: Still North Reading and Performance series.  Readings by John Morgan of Fairbanks, whose most recent book is Spear-Fishing on the Chatanika: New and Selected Poems, and Kelsea Habecker, whose first book, Hollow Out, draws heavily on five years spent in Point Hope, will compliment reflections on the life and work of John Haines, including a screening from a documentary-in-progress by Leonard Kamerling which features Haines. Land Without Landscape will explore themes of dismantling and renewal in a special venue slated for demolition this spring, and is offered free for all.  A book signing will follow, and books by Haines will also be available for purchase.  This 49 Alaska Writing Center event is co-sponsored by the Alaska Center for Documentary Film, UA Museum of the North, Alaska Poetry League, and Fireside Books.  Morgan is also teaching a 49 Writers course "A Formal Feeling: Getting Started in Poetry" from 1-4 p.m. earlier that day; to register, visit our Instruction tab.  

More about our events series

• CROSSCURRENTS: Because books aren’t just for reading, the Crosscurrents onstage conversation series unites authors and audiences through lively, moderated discussions on questions pertaining to art, culture, and science as illuminated by writers and their work. 

• SYNERGIES: Following the Still North model of reading and performance, these are uniquely experiential, literary-centric events that bring together sometimes disparate communities of artists and writers.

• GATHERINGS: Hosted in homes or cafes, these are informal opportunities to chat with visiting writers about craft and the writing life.

• CELEBRATIONS: These may include occasional “open mic” readings by our students as well as collective book launch events. Check back for details on specific events as they are scheduled.  We also include event updates in our our newsletter and blog.

How many wonderful authors* have been played by Meryl Streep on the big screen? Meet our favorite: Susan Orlean, New Yorker staff writer, author of The Orchid Thief. Live in conversation with Anchorage journalist Julia O'Malley, April 1 at 7 pm.

*Isak Dinesen in Out of Africa, Nora Ephron in Heartburn. Are we missing anyone else?