Contemporary Alaskan Writers

Velma Wallis

Alaskan, Author, Inspiration

               Velma Wallis grew up in Fort Yukon, Alaska in a family of sixteen. Wallis struggled to find her own voice, her individuality, and her strength in the face of adversaries like alcoholism, depression and the pressure by peers to follow in her parent’s footsteps. Though she struggled and fought through many years of life, Wallis overcame and began writing down her memories for all to read. Her books are a tribute to her life, her beliefs and her culture. They are treasures and I have truly enjoyed reading all of them. Wallis wrote “Two Old Women,” “Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun,” and “Raising Ourselves,” a memoir. 

          The excerpt from “Two Old Women” called “Let Us Die Trying” is a testament to the power of women. In a culture where older women were not valued because they were thought to be worthless, two old women discovered they were stronger than they ever believed. This idea is a contemporary one, the idea of women’s rights. Female empowerment is the theme in this tale and it shows readers a more modern mentality. A way of thinking that moved the world forward, not just Alaska.

Jack London

Writer, Adventurer, Imagination

Jack London was born in 1876 in San Francisco. He traveled to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush and experienced all the excitement that is Alaska heightened 100-fold. This time in Alaskan history was wrought with adventure, danger, betrayal, and imagination. While London was only in Alaska for a short time he was able to write about Alaska with such vivid detail, leading readers to believe that Alaska seeped into his soul. London’s books are some of my favorite. Children love hearing “White Fang”, and “The Call of the Wild,” no matter what age. London reflects a modern version of Alaska through the writers he continues to inspire. Fiction writers will always be contemporary as they write about what they know and what they experience every day. Their thoughts and imaginations are influenced by what they read and are inspired by. London inspires me and I know he inspires many more writers.

Richard K. Nelson

Anthropologist, Writer, Lover of Nature

Richard K. Nelson is a cultural anthropologist from Sitka, Alaska and a writer. His work has focused primarily on the indigenous cultures of Alaska and the relationships between people and nature. He writes about current people and populations as they come in contact with nature on its own ground. Anyone who lives in Alaska knows that the wildlife is in control. Bears, moose, wolves, fox, rabbits and any other Alaskan wild creature go where it wants and does what it wants. The land is theirs not ours, and the sooner we figure that out the better we will all be. Nelson’s writing is contemporary because he tackles important issues in society. The encroachment of human life on wild lands, and on the lands of indigenous populations of Alaska is a contemporary issue facing us all and Nelson tackles this dispute with originality and intelligence.