Alaska Literary Award, 2024 Denali National Park, Dene lands Erica Watson is an essayist living on the boundary of Denali National Park, on traditional Dene lands, with her partner and dog. Her work centers the intersection of human and nonhuman worlds, community, and climate change, and aims to complicate the narratives around US conservation and land management. She has worked in environmental … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2024 Utqiaġvik Todd Sformo is a wildlife biologist in Utqiaġvik, formerly called Barrow, working on fish and bowhead whales in support of subsistence on the North Slope.  He views science and the humanities as mutually dependent after studying both—PhD and MS in biology, MFA in creative writing, MA in art history, and BA in philosophy.  In addition to publishing scientific … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2024 Fairbanks Susan Campbell arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1989 and found home. Her life as a poet, teacher, book artist, and outdoor adventurer is tethered to the far north. She treasures the thirty years she dedicated to teaching elementary school. Decades of wilderness adventures in Alaska have keenly shaped her life and her writing. Susan creates artist books that … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2024 Talkeetna Sarah Birdsall has lived in Alaska most of her life, with many of her formative years spent in remote parts of the state. A former award-winning journalist and a Rasmuson Foundation award recipient, she has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and lives in her hometown of Talkeetna, Alaska, where she’s always writing … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2023 Fairbanks Carolyn Kremers, a multifaceted talent in the literary world, seamlessly blends her roles as a poet, nonfiction writer, dedicated teacher, and lifelong musician. Her academic journey is marked by a rich tapestry of accomplishments: a BA in English and Honors Humanities from Stanford, a teaching certificate from the University of Illinois Chicago, a BA in … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2023 Fairbanks Annie Wenstrup, a Dena’ina poet from Fairbanks, Alaska, brings the essence of her heritage to life through her stirring words. Her poetic achievements have graced the Alaska Quarterly Review, the New England Review, and Poetry Magazine. Her talent also shone in Poetry Northwest as a finalist for the James Welch Indigenous Poetry Prize. 2023 marked a year … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2023 Fairbanks Paul Greci stands as a towering figure in the realm of Alaska wilderness survival novels, having penned four award-winning titles: "Surviving Bear Island," "Follow the River," "The Wild Lands," and "Hostile Territory." His gripping tale, "Surviving Bear Island," was honored as the Alaska Reads book for 2022-23. Additionally, "The Wild Lands" captivated … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2023 Douglas Hailing from the scenic landscapes of Douglas, Alaska, Emily Wall serves as a beacon of poetic inspiration as a Professor of English at the University of Alaska. Emily, a distinguished alumna with an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Arizona, weaves her words into a tapestry of expression that has graced journals throughout the US and Canada. Her … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2017 Anchorage Mary Katzke moved to Alaska in 1979 after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas Austin in Radio-Television-Film. She formed her nonprofit Affinityfilms, Inc. after producing her first documentary film, No Word for Rape and went on to produce and direct over three dozen films including Sea of Oil, About Face, World School, Backing … Read More

Alaska Literary Award, 2016 Kodiak Sara Loewen is the author of Gaining Daylight: Life on Two Islands, which won the Willa Award for creative nonfiction. She earned her MFA from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Her essays have appeared in Made of Salmon: Alaska Stories from the Salmon Project, and the Alaska Dispatch Magazine, 61 Degrees North. She works at Kodiak College and commercial … Read More