John Haines About John Haines, who spent more than twenty years homesteading in Alaska, the poet Richard Howard has noted, "The landscapes and weathers of his chosen North have made Haines's particular tract—that region of 'the quelled and muttering life of stones'—into an Alaska of human intent as well as of the atlas.
	Linda Bierds Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Linda Bierds is the author of numerous books of poetry, including The Ghost Trio, which was named a Notable Book Selection by the American Library Association.
	Robert W. Service Though he was never actually in Alaska, Robert W. Service published The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses in 1907, and has since remained one of the most cherished poets of the Yukon Territory. Service High School in Anchorage was named in his honor.
	Tom Sexton Formerly the Poet Laureate of Alaska, Tom Sexton came of age in Lowell Point, Alaska in the 1950s. His work is often related to the Eskimo people and contemporary life in Alaska.
	Other Alaska Poets: Jerah Chadwick Peggy Shumaker Nora Marks Dauenhauer Joseph Enzweiler Mary Tallmountain Derick Burleson Amber Flora Thomas Olena Kalytiak Davis Elizabeth Bradfield Linda McCarriston John Morgan Sheila Nickerson

Information on this state's writer laureateship

Alaska Center for the Book
Founded in 1991 to "stimulate public interest in literacy, through the spoken and written word, as central to our understanding of ourselves and the world around us," the Alaska Center for the Book publishes a monthly newsletter, and holds readings and workshops. Its recent programs include Alaska Literary Trail, which brings writers to remote communities; Northern Letters, a 13-week radio program that presents the work of Alaskan and visiting writers; and an annual conference, "Writing Rendezvous" (to be held April 12-13, 2003).

LitSite Alaska
A project of the University of Alaska-Anchorage and the Alaska Literary Consortium, funded in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, LitSite is an online resource that contains sections on the state's literacy efforts and storytelling traditions ("Alaska Reads" and "Alaska Writes"), as well as profiles of Alaskan families who integrate reading and writing into their home life ("Family Gatherings"). As an on-line learning tool, LitSite Alaska showcases a living archive of lesson plans used in Alaskan classrooms, as well as extensive lists of Alaskan library programs and bookstores.

Alaska Quarterly Review
Alaska Quarterly Review is a journal devoted to contemporary literary art. It is published twice a year by the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

"Alaska is an American colony, and the literature of Alaska has reflected that colonization. The most famous 'Alaskan' writers either visited briefly (Jack London traveled down the Yukon River en route from the Klondike) or were never actually in Alaska (Robert Service lived in and wrote about Canada)..."

From "Alaska"
by Eric Heyne, Updating the Literary West

Autumn in the Alaska Range
by Tom Sexton
Drive north when the braided glacial rivers...

The Train Stops at Healy Fork
by John Haines
We pressed our faces...

The Invaders
by John Haines
It was the country I loved...

Alaska Festival of the Book
Hosted by UAF, this festival features readings and talks by poets and writers from numerous other genres.

Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival
Held as part of this summer celebration during the last two weeks of July, poets and writers gather to spend two weeks writing under the midnight sun. Two poets and two prose writers lead the class.

Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference
Held every June in Homer, Kachemak Bay features Alaskan poets as well as poets from around the world. Readings, panels, and individual conferences are just some of the activities featured.

Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series
Hosted by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, this series brings a number of writers of national significance to Alaska. Through readings, lectures, and individual meetings with local aspiring authors, poets and playwrights, these gifted and unique writers engage in a crucial artistic and cultural exchange.

Reading Rendezvous
Reading Rendezvous is a giant, fun-filled, free Reading Fair each June, the latest effort by the Alaska Center for the Book, held in conjunction with Anchorage Municipal Libraries.

Writing Rendezvous
Held each spring, Writing Rendezvous, now co-sponsored by the Alaska Center for the Book and the UAA Dept. of Creative Writing and Literary Arts, has grown to the State’s largest writing conference and one that rivals any such conference in the country.

University of Alaska Anchorage Creative Writing Program
The Low-Residency MFA program in Creative Writing includes writing workshops, form and theory seminars, and 3-15 credit hours of electives. Students may take courses in four areas: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama for stage and screen. The degree work culminates in a book-length work of fiction, poetry, drama or creative nonfiction and a thesis defense including an in-depth craft essay that puts the student's book into critical perspective. The department publishes an undergraduate literary journal, Understory, and its students coordinate LitSite Alaska, Writing Rendezvous, and a Creative Writing Contest cosponsored by the Anchorage Daily News.

University of Alaska at Fairbanks
University of Alaska at Fairbanks offers an MFA in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, publishes the literary journal Permafrost, and sponsors readings with visiting writers throughout the academic year.