Arctic Entries

Corey is a flight paramedic with LifeMed Alaska; Ginny is an EMS battalion Chief and paramedic supervisor with the Matsu Borough. Their teenagers would often roll their eyes and proclaim the 4 p’s: overProtective-paranoid-paramedic- parents! They are just entering their fourth year as foster family.

Terre was born in Washington, but has lived in Anchorage since ‘77 and considers herself a true Alaskan. She is a wife, a mother of three, and a 25-year career flight attendant. She loves live theatre and is honored to be sharing her story.

Ben is 16 years old and a junior at West Anchorage High School; he especially loves the three month break that comes every May. He enjoys playing soccer and hanging out with friends, any chance he can get.

Teeka is a Language Arts teacher at Begich Middle School, the executive director of Alaska Theatre of Youth, a writer and artist, and one of the owners and the events coordinator of The Writer’s Block—a bookstore, café, and performance space. Set to open January 2018, the Writer’s Block is located at 3965 Spenard Road. For more information, visit: writersblockak.com, or write: teeka@writersblockak.com.

Olivia moved to Alaska from Chicago in 2013 to continue to pursue her personal interests and professional career in environmental work. She likes bad jokes, good weather, and nice people. Olivia originally hails from Pure Michigan, America’s high five.

Amanda is happy to be home in Anchorage after a decade away. Her big challenge this week is figuring out what winter gear to get—any advice?—so that she can spend enough time outside this winter to feel like a real Alaskan again. Her job, which is generally too enjoyable to be considered work, is coordinating education programs at the Alaska Humanities Forum.

Zachariah is a reporter for Alaska Public Media in Anchorage. His work has appeared nationally on NPR, Marketplace, and The Guardian, as well as the Iditapod, a podcast about the Iditarod. He grew up in New England, and has lived abroad in Turkey and the Czech Republic. He is 5’9” and has brown hair.

Originally from Anchorage, Melanie believes that you can find an adventure in every day if you know where to look. She has three life goals: to build an international career, to be someone’s crazy aunt, and to collect fabulous tales to tell from her rocking chair. She’s excited to share her storytelling debut with you tonight at Arctic Entries.

Emma is a lifelong Alaskan. She plans on becoming rich and famous soon.

Raj moved to Alaska in 2014. After completing his education in Montana, he decided he was prepared to move to a big city, thus, he chose Anchorage, the biggest city of Alaska. His hobbies includes fishing, reading nonfiction books and tasting beer. By profession, he is an accountant. By nature, he is a goofball. His strengths lie in networking and his weakness is public speaking. With Arctic Entries, he is hoping to combine the two together.

Becca is 37 weeks pregnant. If she has to run off stage for a mid-show potty break, she hopes you’ll understand.

Quinn is a lifelong Alaskan and a 15-year-old sophomore at Dimond High School. He first told his story in his high school English class for a program called Story Works.

Nicole lives in Fairbanks, where teaches English at a school for incarcerated youth. She’s the author of Steam Laundry. Her second book, You Are No Longer in Trouble is forthcoming in 2019.

Bill grew up in Anchorage in the 1950’s and 60’s. He lived in a log house with his parents, two sisters and a dog named Mickey. Every February, he looked forward to strapping on his mukluks and being flung in the air during the Fur Rendezvous blanket toss. Otherwise, he hung out with his gangster friends.

Gregory (Tungwenuk) is a lifelong Alaskan. Raised by his Inupiaq grandmother in Nome, Inupiaq was his first language. He is a member of Kingikmiut Singers & Dancers of Anchorage. He has traveled to over 35 Alaska Native communities and collected over 10,000 Sobriety Pledge Signatures for Iditarod Musher for Sobriety, Mike Williams. He considers himself a ‘Living-Example-To-The-Truth (LETTT)’ that life can be lived and enjoyed without ‘having to’ consume any mood/mind altering substances and supports HB138.

Jeff is an IT Operations Manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers. He also recently retired from the Alaska Air National Guard after 25 years of service. Jeff enjoys many types of cycling (aka two-wheel therapy) and spoiling his grandsons. While he may not remember what he had for lunch yesterday, he can remember the important stuff, like 80’s movie quotes.

An Inupiaq born and raised in Kotzebue, Bekah enjoys the adventures and misadventures of life out of the ’bue. A BBA graduate and outdoor enthusiast, Bekah now works at Alaska Pacific University, where glacier tours are just another part of the job. Bekah and her husband Jason live in Eagle River with their dog Kaviqsuq (Kavi, pronounced ‘covey’), where she lives to be the person Kavi thinks she is.

In 1990, Gretchen moved from the Lower 48 to Bethel, sight unseen, for a one-year contract. She stayed for five years before leaving for graduate school in Seattle. Currently, she works as a biostatistician in health research here in Anchorage, and is the mother of four school-aged children. In her spare time, she writes creative non-fiction.

As a teenager in the 60’s, Larry moved from Seattle to Alaska, first to Kenai then Anchorage. After college, he took a job in California, where he met his future wife Sunnie. They married and returned to Anchorage to live, work and raise their three sons: Graham, Nolan, and Marshall. Today, Larry and Sunnie enjoy cycling, backcountry hiking and skiing, and “cabin time” at their hand-built log home in Willow. In the future, they anticipate extensive travel abroad, spending time with their sons and granddaughter Kinley Rae in the Lower 48.

Leisha arrived in Alaska last summer after many years of traveling and working around the world. She is a pediatrician; however, she has decided to hang up her stethoscope and work to stomp out disease through public health.