Brad Matsen has been fascinated and writing about water and the ocean for over forty years. He is the author of, "Death and Oil: A True Story of the Piper Alpha Disaster on the North Sea"; "Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King"; "Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss", a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2006; the New York Times bests…

This podcast features the work of author, editor, and teacher, and FisherPoet, Lara Messersmith-Glavin. In each essay from her recently published book, "Spirit Things", Lara holds an object or detail from her early life aboard the family's Kodiak seiner and then takes us beyond into realms of history, science and story. In the Introduction to "Spir…

Bruce Rettig recently published Refraction, An Arctic Memoir. Refraction is a Pushcart prize nominee, and has received recognition and multiple awards including an award for non-fiction with the San Francisco Writing Contest, an International Chanticleer Book Award and a Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Award. Bruce also writes litera…

Brendan Jones lives in Sitka, Alaska with his wife, three daughters, six chickens, and one dog. He first came to Sitka as a young man to land what work he could find. Soon he was writing for the Sitka Sentinel, and has gone on to write for a range of publications including The New York Times, the Smithsonian, GQ, Washington Post, Patagonia and othe…

Dan hosts John and Becca Wolfe, co-authors of Alaska Adventure, 55 Ways, Southcentral Wilderness Explorations, published this summer by Mountaineers Books, Seattle, Washington. This 50th anniversary edition of 55 Ways, first written by Helen Nienhueser, represents three generations of wilderness exploring and collaborative writing. Helen writes in …

Award winning author of several books, including The Only Kayak and Jimmy Bluefeather, Kim Heacox is also an opinion piece writer for The Guardian US. He’s published some 18 pieces—10 in the last year with The Guardian. Kim: “My Guardian pieces are framed within my credo of activist writing, that it’s not only my right but my responsibility to chal…

Award-winning author and naturalist Hank Lentfer returns to the Alaska Story Project with an audio piece, “10 Sounds That Make You Feel More Alive”. Hank reads from his book, Ravens Witness, the Alaska life of Richard K. Nelson, a passage from his earliest memories living with the Iñupiaq in the Arctic. “We yearn to pull together with neighbors and…

Ray Troll's Ichthyomuse, Art and Rock & Roll Formative years, early influences Art as Ray’s childhood superpower Kansas to Seattle, art scene, grad school, up to Ketchikan Ketchikan, art scene, native culture, studio above a fish plant Obsessing, drawing and painting fish; First T-shirt project, “Let’s spawn” Growing his T-shirt empire; “Spawn ’til…

A thought and theme from Wendell Berry, “coming into the peace of wild things.” A story from the Alaskan cabin with an astonishing encounter with a large, magnificent buck. Reading liner notes from a collaborative DVD project with Kurt Hoelting, ASP podcast #5. “Wildness is a process and not a place. Nothing stands alone. The environment is inside …

Jonathan White is a writer, surfer, sailor and educator. His work has been published in Orion, The Sun, Fine Homebuilding, and Natural History. His first book, Talking on the Water, (Sierra Club, 1993), explores creativity and the natural world. It grew out of "Seminars Afloat" with writers Gretel Ehrlich, Ursula Le Guin, and Peter Matthiessen, alo…

Spring Patterns and Surviving a Glacial Tsunami. Dan & Joe reflect on seasonal patterns Preparations for an upcoming season in Alaska John Muir's quest to experience a living glacier A story of near-death from a calving tsunami at the Dawes Glacier Coming close to the Big Black Wings Deep appreciation and motivations for sharing stories…

The Art of Listening Stunning recordings from the natural world of Alaska Hank's story of his "acoustic awakening" An iconic recording of a Loon with Richard Nelson Several of Hank's favorite recordings and the stories behind them Hearing, Listening and the Art of Listening Robin song: getting to know individuals A wolf howl and a Malamute's respon…

Stories of Connection: Barry Lopez; Faith of Cranes & Sandhill Cranes; Raven's Witness & the life and work of Richard Nelson; sound recording. Barry Lopez and the importance of story. A childhood memory from the Arctic & reflecting on our times now. Building a home in Gustavus and considering Sandhill Cranes. Raven's Witness: Friendship naturalist …

Growing up with salmon, fishing for salmon, and transboundary mining issues. Early memories & running north through the Inside Passage in the family seine boat. Fishing for sockeye salmon off of Noyes Island in SE Alaska. Alarmed by the Mt. Polley mine disaster, and implications for the major transboundary, Alaska—B.C. rivers with vital salmon runs…

In conversation writer Holly Hughes: Early years on the waters of Alaska as a fisher and operating a salmon tender. As a mariner, the necessity of paying full attention and its influence on writing. Holly reads from Sailing by Ravens. A reading from Passings, which was recently awarded the American Book Award. Choosing full engagement with both the…

More on Alaska's Humpback Whales. Whale spouting and breathing, lung capacity. Breathing in rough seas; sleeping whales. Diving: depths and prey. Lunge feeding; cooperative behavior & bubble net feeding. Rescuing whales, disentanglement tools and techniques. The Alaska Whale Foundation. What continues to intrigue and surprise whale researchers.…

33 years of behavioral research with Alaska's Humpback Whales. Formative years as a whale biologist. The remarkable characteristics of Humpback Whales. Songs of the Humpback Whale. Whale brains, four times as large as a human brain. Spindle neurons and social behavior. Whale communication, ocean acoustics. "Whale internet". Concerns: Ocean noise, s…

Treadwell Gold, An Alaskan Saga of Riches and Ruin. Approaching Juneau, Treadwell on Douglas Island. The Treadwell Mining complex and Sheila's personal connection to its history. The Alaskan Gold Rush; placer mining, hard rock mining, and the Klondike. A timeline, beginning with the Tlingits to the decline of Treadwell. A description of life in Tre…

Alaska Writer Laureate 2008-10, Nancy Lord. Coming to Homer, Alaska and early years as a set netter on Cook Inlet. Reading from Fishcamp: Life on an Alaskan Shore. Beluga Whales. The Harriman Expedition and Green Alaska. Early Warming: Crisis and Response in the Climate-Changed North; feedback loops and permafrost melting. Ph: A Novel; pteropods, o…

Writer, Educator, FisherPoet Lara Messersmith-Glavin. Reflections on growing up a Kodiak fisher. Reads a piece, "Spellbind", performed at FisherPoets, from her forthcoming book. How Alaska influences her life now as a creative writer and educator. Reflections upon wildness, bigness and relationship with work. Reads from her piece," Hiraeth". Reflec…

Dan opens with Kurt relating his early years coming to Alaska. The sinking of the classic halibut boat, the Lloyd. Kurt's harrowing survival story Dan and Kurt discuss an important mentor, poet Gary Snyder. Kurt reflects on how his Alaskan experiences deeply inform his current work as both a wilderness kayak guide and mindfulness teacher.…

The socio-political landscape of Alaska. Bill relates his early journey from drug & alcohol counselor to serving as DEC commissioner. Ownership of Alaskan lands and resources: history and implications. The Hammond era, the Alaska Permanent Fund, Exxon Valdez. The socio-economic ramifications of Alaska's oil boom. Present tense: dwindling oil, sever…

The remote small communities—outposts in Southeast Alaska. Meyers Chuck, Point Baker and Port Protection, Port Alexander. Dan tells a Wayne Short story of man-overboard and being saved in huge seas. Wending their way north, stories of Tenakee Springs, and out Icy Straits to Elfin Cove.By Host Dan Kowalski with author Joe Upton

Dan and Joe explore the Inside Passage from Puget Sound to Southeast Alaska. Joe reflects upon nautical charts, and navigation. Stories of crossing big waters in a small boat. The vastness of the northern wilderness. They discuss the indigenous native cultures of the Inside Passage. Living close to the land working with the seasons.…

Dan and Joe talk about Joe's award-winning book Alaska Blues. They discuss early years of becoming a fisherman and tender operator. Heading north, early fishing stories, Point Baker, and building a cabin. Dan and Joe discuss the tides, the forest, and a good bear story.By Dan Kowalski with author Joe Upton