Romeo the wolf lopes through four of the 26 essays in Nick Jans' latest book, "The Glacier Wolf," appearing and disappearing in the text much as he does the Juneau landscape in real life. He also brings into vivid focus one of the main themes of the book: the interplay between man and animal.

"If there's one overarching theme ... it's about the place where people and wildlife meet, and modeling a sort of a respectful intersection between the two," Jans said.

Jans prefers to call the literary subsections of the book "true stories" rather than essays, due to the junior-high association many have with the latter, but said he is a huge fan of the genre. At its best, he said, the personal essay incorporates elements of fiction, poetry and nonfiction.

"I'm crazy about the personal essay as a written form," he said. "It has the shape of fiction, and the ability to convey that same sort of thing, and the condensed nature - if you can wring it out - to raise it to something more poetic in places. And it has the benefit of being true and real."

Jans is certainly no stranger to the form. He has published nine books, including the essay collections "The Last Light Breaking: Living Among Alaska's Inupiat Eskimos" and "A Place Beyond: Finding a Home in Arctic Alaska," to wide acclaim, and stands as one of the state's most respected and well-known writers. He has a regular column in Alaska Magazine titled "On the Edge" (where some of Glacier Wolf's pieces first appeared), and writes for many other publications. He is currently at work on his first novel.

Jans lived in Ambler for many years before moving to Juneau, and "Glacier Wolf" marks his first full book set in Southeast. He said the book is intended for residents and those passing through, and offers readers a look at the unique natural environment of Southeast through his eyes.

"I've always written first person, but it's not really about me in an autobiographical sense, its really about the stuff I'm seeing," he said. "I'm sort of a surrogate for the reader."

Jans, who lives in the Mendenhall Valley, has had many first-hand encounters with Romeo, some of which are described in the book along with his interactions with various other wild creatures that share his backyard - bears, whales, squirrels and otters. The first essay, called "The Neighbors," sets the tone.

"If you took all the animals out of the book there wouldn't be much left," he says.

The landscape of Southeast, in all its misty, over-saturated glory, also figures prominently in the essays.

The order of the essays was well-considered by the author, and creates a narrative flow from beginning to end. However, the book can be enjoyed as a "bathroom book," Jans said, picked up at any point along the way.

An introduction to self-publishing

In addition to the change of venue, "Glacier Wolf" marks a major change in operations for Jans. It's the first time he has self-published a book. Dragged "kicking and screaming" to the idea by his friend and local photographer Mark Kelley (the two men worked together on the books "Alaska: A Photographic Excursion," and "Alaska's Tracy Arm & Sawyer Glaciers"), Jans said he soon warmed to the role of sole-decision maker.

"It's really exciting for the first time in my writing life to have complete control over something," he said.

He hired a designer, Matt Knutson, and a printer, and had friends and colleagues review the text for him, but other than that he did everything himself. When it came time for the book to be distributed, he drew on his established relationships with bookstores all over the state, from Gulliver's Books in Fairbanks to Parnassus Books in Ketchikan. So far he says things are going well - close to 600 copies of the book have already sold since it was released June 21.

A personal connection

A teacher by profession, Jans enjoys public speaking and will be traveling around the country to talk about his book, beginning with two appearances here in Juneau. He'll be at Hearthside's downtown location for a book signing from 1-3 p.m. today, and will then give a slide show at the bookstore's valley location beginning at 7 p.m. tonight. A professional nature photographer as well as an author, Jans' slides will illustrate the stories of "Glacier Wolf."

An author's involvement is crucial, Jans said, in promoting a book. Beyond that, Jans enjoys fostering a personal connection with his audience. The highest praise he can receive, he said, is to hear from a reader that his words have affected them and struck them as genuine.

"(Its when) people who live here and know what I am writing about say that its touched them and I got it right," he said. "As long as I know that I'm making contact with people who respond to my book and to my writing and tell me that it matters to them, that's what keeps me going."