State Writer Laureate selection delayed but coming soon

State Writer Laureate selection delayed but coming soon

In the meantime, Juneau is home to the state writer laureate.

Ernestine Saankalaxt’ Hayes’ tenure as Alaska State Writer Laureate is lasting slightly longer than initially expected.

Hayes, a University of Alaska Southeast professor and author of “Blonde Indian: An Alaska Native Memoir” and “The Tao of Raven,” was announced as the 2016-2018 Alaska State Writer Laureate in December 2016 and introduced at the Governor’s Arts and Humanities Awards in January 2017.

[Ernestine Hayes’ favorite reads of 2018 and other artists’ favorites]

When 2018 came to a close, there was no announcement of Hayes’ successor and no introduction of a new writer laureate at this year’s arts and humanities awards earlier this month.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“I’m not sure if I’m Laureate for a few extra months or if it’s more of a slight pause in the process,” Hayes told the Capital City Weekly via email. “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve as Writer Laureate, and I feel certain that serving as former Laureate will be just as fulfilling.”

While the Writer Laureate selection process is happening later than usual, it is in progress, and an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

“The state writer selection process is underway and we should have an announcement for the media by March 30, 2019,” said Andrea Noble-Pelant, Executive Director for Alaska State Council on the Arts in an email responding to a phone call Tuesday. “It’s a little later than usual so the position will go from April 1, 2019-March 30, 2021.”

The State Writer Laureate program is a partnership between the state council on the arts and the Alaska Humanities Forum, according to the Alaska State Council on the Arts’ website. The program is a direct descendent of the Poet Laureate program started by the Juneau Poetry Society in the 1960s.

[Lecture questions colonial names]

In 1996, the Poet Laureate Program was broadened to recognize all types of writing.

Noble-Pelant said this isn’t the first time there has been date change in the Writer Laureate Program’s recent history.

“Several years ago, the position was October – September, then January–December so the starting points have varied depending on a number of circumstances,” Noble-Pelant said. “We have limited staff capacity for all our programs, so we delayed the selection process while we focused on the Governor’s awards since staff is essentially the same for both programs.”


• Contact arts and culture reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.


More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

The roundabout at the intersection of Mendenhall Loop Road and Stephen Richards Memorial Drive on Monday morning after it was reopened following a shooting between two men in vehicles shortly after midnight. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Man killed, another in custody after vehicle-involved shooting at Mendenhall Valley roundabout

“Shooting between two men” occurred shortly after midnight Monday, according to JPD.

A worker paints over a wall mural featuring words such as “fairness,” “leadership,” “compassion,” “diversity” and “integrity” at the FBI Academy at Quantico on Wednesday. (Anonymous photo provided to The New York Times)
Mass deletion and alteration of federal websites includes Alaska reports and data

Forest Service climate assessment, Alaska Native education program, FEMA strategic plan among deletions.

MXAK’s executive director Steve White watches the wall of monitoring screens as maritime information specialist Jason Hort (foreground) tracks vessels transiting the North Pacific. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Buying time: Juneau’s Marine Exchange of Alaska saves lives, cargo, communities and wildlife

Two retired Coast Guard captains lead team providing data to ensure safe transit for hundreds of vessels.

A Mendenhall Valley neighborhood is swamped by a record glacial outburst flood on on Aug. 6, 2024. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities photo)
Profits from ‘fully’ extracting Alaska’s resources minus the cost of climate impacts: Who will gain/lose how much?

The results may not be high either way since experts say Trump’s goals are unlikely to happen anytime soon.

A marker for the U.S.-Canadian border sits between Skagway, Alaska, and Stikine Region, British Columbia. (Philip Yabut/Getty Images)
Yukon government warns that Trump tariffs will make Alaska life more expensive

China, Alaska’s biggest international trading partner, also targeted by tariffs likely to trigger trade war

Deena Bishop, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, gives an overview of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s omnibus education package on Jan. 31, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Education package with multitude of policy changes and no BSA increase unveiled by Gov. Dunleavy

Proposals include allowing students to enroll anywhere in the state, more charter and homeschool support.

A map shows properties within a proposed Local Improvement District whose owners could be charged nearly $6,300 each for the installation of a semi-permanent levee to protect the area from floods. (City and Borough of Juneau map)
81 of 466 property owners object to flood district plan ahead of Assembly vote on Monday

Residents in zone would have to pay about $6,300 each for barriers if plan approved.

Kate Sheehan (left foreground), director of the Alaska Division of Personnel and Labor Relations, and Paula Vrana, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, discuss an ongoing statewide salary study during a House State Affairs Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy’s delay in releasing state salary study frustrates legislators, union leaders

Draft report to assess competitiveness completed last June, but not released publicly.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Juneau Empire relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in