Suddenly, this summer
Oh, hi guys.
So, yes, long time no talk. Let's catch everyone up, shall we?
I am here. Give or take less than 2 miles.
Um, let's see I left NYC right before the 4th of July. I've since gone to: Bend, OR > Olympia, WA > Anchorage, AK for a two-week residency to kick off my MFA in Creative Writing > Eagle River, AK for a camping trip with fellow students and faculty > Denali National Park > Kenai Peninsula, AK. What remains is: Juneau and Sitka > Olympia > [Maybe Bend again?] > back home to NYC before Labor Day. Whew! [Oh, and no, I didn't quit my job; it's a whole unpaid-leave situation that my completely awesome boss let me do. Back to it in Sept.]
So the nitty gritty: I got to Anchorage and, honestly, didn't love it at first. It's a tiny sprawl of a city, with lots of strip malls and left-turn lights. Nearly the whole city was destroyed in a massive earthquake back in 1964, so, yeah, they rebuilt the whole thing at a time when American architecture was not at its finest. The UAA campus, where I was going to start a three-year (mostly remote) masters program, was tiny compared to my past college experiences. I was doubtful, is what I'm saying.
Then I met all the other (30 or so) MFA students, started hanging out with them at the local bar, and got really excited about writing. They're smart, diverse, crazy talented and remarkably non-snarky. And the locals-from Juneau, Nome, Sitka, Homer-made me start to love it, even dirty old Anchorage. It turns out you have to be an optimist to be a literary writer/poet or an Alaskan resident.
Oh, and it's been like 65 to 75 degrees and sunny about 90% of the time I've been here. Sunlight 'til near midnight. BEST WEATHER EVER. I'd actually like a rainy day so I can get some damn writing done without feeling the need to go enjoy the sun. (Not really, weather gods!)
I alternate between traveling on my own (Denali! Homer! Wasilla!) and hanging in Anchorage with my new buddies, who I like more than I ever liked any of you people. (That's a lie, I miss you all terribly, every day, except when I hear it's 95 degrees and muggy, or when you drunk-text me from a fabulous party.) Here are pictures, and though I hate being that person, I'm taking a million of them because it's so damn gorgeous:
Went to Denali National Park. Note: That is not a painting behind me. Real mountain. Big one.
And saw bears, no maulings.
A river runs through it. Can you spot Polar Bear Glacier, shaped like a bear rug?
Drove a bunch. There are about six roads in all of Alaska (barely an exaggeration), and the views from them are incredible.
I'll stop with the landscape porn. Any second now.
Went fishin'! (Note on fishing: I was a little torn about going just for sport. But I found an awesome local family to take my halibut, and they in turn invited me to dinner: homecooked deep-fried halibut, grilled halibut and salmon, and a crab-and-halibut dish that knocked my socks off. They were awesome.)
Jealous yet?
More photos. In case you miss me that much.
Oh, and Alaskans friendlier than anyone, anywhere, and I include those cheery southerners. I've been offered places to stay, loaned a car for two weeks, cooked dinner by strangers, and generally entertained on a daily basis. My cynical little New York heart has grown two sizes since I came here, but don't worry, it'll wither back down soon enough. Miss you all.
So, yes, long time no talk. Let's catch everyone up, shall we?
I am here. Give or take less than 2 miles.
Um, let's see I left NYC right before the 4th of July. I've since gone to: Bend, OR > Olympia, WA > Anchorage, AK for a two-week residency to kick off my MFA in Creative Writing > Eagle River, AK for a camping trip with fellow students and faculty > Denali National Park > Kenai Peninsula, AK. What remains is: Juneau and Sitka > Olympia > [Maybe Bend again?] > back home to NYC before Labor Day. Whew! [Oh, and no, I didn't quit my job; it's a whole unpaid-leave situation that my completely awesome boss let me do. Back to it in Sept.]
So the nitty gritty: I got to Anchorage and, honestly, didn't love it at first. It's a tiny sprawl of a city, with lots of strip malls and left-turn lights. Nearly the whole city was destroyed in a massive earthquake back in 1964, so, yeah, they rebuilt the whole thing at a time when American architecture was not at its finest. The UAA campus, where I was going to start a three-year (mostly remote) masters program, was tiny compared to my past college experiences. I was doubtful, is what I'm saying.
Then I met all the other (30 or so) MFA students, started hanging out with them at the local bar, and got really excited about writing. They're smart, diverse, crazy talented and remarkably non-snarky. And the locals-from Juneau, Nome, Sitka, Homer-made me start to love it, even dirty old Anchorage. It turns out you have to be an optimist to be a literary writer/poet or an Alaskan resident.
Oh, and it's been like 65 to 75 degrees and sunny about 90% of the time I've been here. Sunlight 'til near midnight. BEST WEATHER EVER. I'd actually like a rainy day so I can get some damn writing done without feeling the need to go enjoy the sun. (Not really, weather gods!)
I alternate between traveling on my own (Denali! Homer! Wasilla!) and hanging in Anchorage with my new buddies, who I like more than I ever liked any of you people. (That's a lie, I miss you all terribly, every day, except when I hear it's 95 degrees and muggy, or when you drunk-text me from a fabulous party.) Here are pictures, and though I hate being that person, I'm taking a million of them because it's so damn gorgeous:
Went to Denali National Park. Note: That is not a painting behind me. Real mountain. Big one.
And saw bears, no maulings.
A river runs through it. Can you spot Polar Bear Glacier, shaped like a bear rug?
Drove a bunch. There are about six roads in all of Alaska (barely an exaggeration), and the views from them are incredible.
I'll stop with the landscape porn. Any second now.
Went fishin'! (Note on fishing: I was a little torn about going just for sport. But I found an awesome local family to take my halibut, and they in turn invited me to dinner: homecooked deep-fried halibut, grilled halibut and salmon, and a crab-and-halibut dish that knocked my socks off. They were awesome.)
Jealous yet?
More photos. In case you miss me that much.
Oh, and Alaskans friendlier than anyone, anywhere, and I include those cheery southerners. I've been offered places to stay, loaned a car for two weeks, cooked dinner by strangers, and generally entertained on a daily basis. My cynical little New York heart has grown two sizes since I came here, but don't worry, it'll wither back down soon enough. Miss you all.