“Like Alaska, this book contains multitudes. Keep it by your desk as a tool for both reference and inspiration. By turns coolly scientific and ardently rhapsodic, these sharply focused portraits of Alaska animals, plants, and landforms keep us attentive to what is timeless and what is urgently at risk in our time.”
—Tom Kizzia, author of Pilgrim’s Wilderness
Alaska Literary Field Guide
Alaska Literary Field Guide is a vibrant and immersive celebration of Alaska’s wild beauty, blending science, storytelling, and stunning artwork. This unique anthology, edited by Marybeth Holleman, Nancy Lord, and Shaelene Grace Moler, brings together a diverse range of the state’s most respected contemporary poets and writers—including Kim Heacox, Seth Kantner, dg nanouk okpik, and Heather Lende—alongside original, full-color artwork from 19 Alaskan visual artists including Alvin Amason, Ray Troll, Sara Tabbert, and Kes Woodward.
More than 90 species and natural elements—from grizzly bears and glaciers to lichens, loons, and the aurora borealis—are brought to life through poetic reflections, vivid prose, and detailed scientific natural histories. Each "Being" is paired with a piece of writing and illustration that captures its essence, while also offering cultural knowledge, ecological context, and insight into population health and environmental threats.
Organized by ecosystem, Alaska Literary Field Guide is both an artistic tribute and an educational invitation to connect with the land, water, wildlife, and spirit of the Last Frontier. It’s a field guide like no other—both a reference and a work of art.
Where to Buy Alaska Literary Field Guide
“The bountiful abundance of this wild collection is artfully packed for a bush plane flight through head and heart. Feel your way through this guide—and learn to love Alaska as much as I do.”
—J. Drew Lanham, author of The Home Place
“Alaska Literary Field Guide has described the indescribable: through poems, prose, and art, the sprawling beauty of Alaska settles onto the page like a woodstove’s warmth on a frigid fall morning. Brew some coffee, get a copy, settle in.”
—Hank Lentfer, author of Raven’s Witness and Faith of Cranes
“Many ways of knowing coalesce in this essential collection. Alaska Literary Field Guide provides a full-spectrum, interrelated engagement of head and heart that truly honors the marvel of the living place we call Alaska.”
—Derek Sheffield, Washington State Poet Laureate
and co-author of Cascadia Field Guide