• M.A. English, University of California Berkeley
• B.A. English, University of Alaska Fairbanks
I first came to Alaska in May of 1980, planning to stay only three months or so at a remote fishing lodge where I’d been hired for the season. On my days off, forays on foot or by boat into the world of Southeast Alaska made me realize that I needed to immerse myself for a longer time in that wild and beautiful place. I spent the following fall, winter, and spring as a caretaker on a nearby river so far removed that for months at a time, I didn’t even see a plane fly over or a boat go by.
It was a transformative experience. It addition to all those unalloyed hours of reading and thinking, I spent at least as many waking hours hauling water, chopping wood, and doing all the other things necessary to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. Most importantly, I learned that I could rely on myself in ways I never thought possible in my prior life as a city dweller of Detroit first, then Seattle.
From the seeds of that first year, I became a commercial fisherman with a permit for the Yakutat district. During the winters I attended UAF and graduated with a major in English and a minor in philosophy. My master’s thesis at the University of California-Berkeley was an interpretation of Joseph Conrad’s writing that suggests physical work in a natural environment is curative. Currently, I’m working on my Ph.D. from UAF. It’s an interdisciplinary degree in English, philosophy, and environmental studies.
The thing I most love about APU is the community that staff, students, and faculty share with each other. Like any other relationship the course of its love “never did run smooth,” but I never doubt the concern and affection that lives here. I also love to witness the growth and positive change that happens between first year students’ arrival at APU to their graduations from this university. Several of them are now my good friends.
When I’m not teaching or grading papers, I love to watch my backyard chickens do silly things that make me laugh, walk or backcountry ski with my two Yorkies, hang with my friends, and in general enjoy the miracle of being here now.