12/04/2025
Pack your parka and join PBS Books and the Library of Congress as we make the trek to Alaska on American Stories: A Reading Road Trip! Join us on December 3rd at 8pm EST/ 4pm AKST for a PBS Books Facebook Live event, or on the PBS Books YouTube channel, the PBS app, or pbs.org. Visit pbsbooks.org/readingroadtrip to learn more.
Inspired by the shimmering dance of the Northern Lights and the sweeping expanse of its landscape, Alaskans have been weaving stories long before the written word. For centuries, Indigenous peoples have passed these stories down through oral traditions, dance, and artistic expression. With the arrival of adventurers like Jack London (Call of the Wild), conservationists like Margaret Murie (Two in the Far North), anthropologists like Frederica de Laguna (Travels Among the Dena), and even its first Poet Laureate John Haines (The Stars, The Snow, The Fire)– Alaska's literary tradition has expanded in ways that continue to celebrate what makes this state so unique.
Hear from today's writers who carry forward this deep connection to the land including Native voices like Velma Wallis, who honors the importance of preserving tribal stories in works like Two Old Women, and children's author and illustrator Michaela Goade, who celebrates traditional wild food harvests in Berry Song. Dana Stabenow intertwines Alaska’s rich history throughout her novels, including the Kate Shugak series, and Seth Kantner explores the stark differences from life in the Far North to modern American culture in Ordinary Wolves. Nancy Lord continues the conservationist narrative with Early Warming, linking environmental stewardship to Alaska's literary legacy.
Alaska’s vast and wild landscape lends itself to awe-inspiring places to visit, from literary landmarks like Poems in Place to inspiring guided tours through Southeast Alaska’s nature. There are even many local libraries and bookstores throughout this vast state. Fly into Anchorage and pay a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center and be sure to stop at Mosquito books while you wait for your plane to depart for your next location.
