Arts and Culture

X’unei Lance Twitchell in “Shaawatke’&

Co-written Tlingit and English-language poem celebrates birth

Juneau-based poet Emily Wall has been working on a book of birth poems for six years. She collected birth stories from as many different people… Continue reading

X’unei Lance Twitchell in “Shaawatke’&
The LEGO building challenge helped kick off the opening of the “Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference” interactive exhibit which will be at the Mendenhall Library until April 6. Photos by Erin Laughlin | For the Capital City Weekly

Kids can ‘Discover Tech’ and engineering at the Mendenhall Library

Juneau Public Libraries is one of eight libraries in the United States chosen to host the interactive exhibit “Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of… Continue reading

The LEGO building challenge helped kick off the opening of the “Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference” interactive exhibit which will be at the Mendenhall Library until April 6. Photos by Erin Laughlin | For the Capital City Weekly
“Colors of the Morning Sky” author Eric Forrer. Courtesy image.

‘Jesus was a seiner’

Over the course of the last 45 years, Juneau author, contractor and fisherman Eric Forrer has published a novel (“From the Nets of a Salmon… Continue reading

“Colors of the Morning Sky” author Eric Forrer. Courtesy image.
These linens, by April Cornell, are new to the gallery. Courtesy image.

Passing the Torch: Introducing FireLight Galley and Framing in Petersburg

Petersburg’s filled with artists, like many of our neighbors here in Southeast. Painters and potters, some who draw freehand with ink and others who construct… Continue reading

These linens, by April Cornell, are new to the gallery. Courtesy image.
National Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Library, Darcie Culbeck Collection, KLGO CS-50-10573. “The Last Climb to the Summit of Chilkoot Pass,” taken winter 1898. Photographer: Eric A. Hegg (207). In the center left is the northern end of the Golden Stairs between the False Summit and the True Summit and to the right of that is a single sled probably being hauled up to the Summit by the gasoline winch, part of Archie Burns’ surface tramway system. The gasoline-powered tramway was introduced by mid-April 1898. It was described as “simply a pulley drum and gasoline engine at the summit of the pass, and enough rope to reach the bottom. Sleds were hitched onto the rope, which was wound around the drum and it pulled them to the top.”

The surface tramways of the Chilkoot Trail

During the Klondike gold rush, three aerial tramways and several surface hoists operated over the Chilkoot Pass. The aerial tramways were significant engineering feats. The… Continue reading

National Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Library, Darcie Culbeck Collection, KLGO CS-50-10573. “The Last Climb to the Summit of Chilkoot Pass,” taken winter 1898. Photographer: Eric A. Hegg (207). In the center left is the northern end of the Golden Stairs between the False Summit and the True Summit and to the right of that is a single sled probably being hauled up to the Summit by the gasoline winch, part of Archie Burns’ surface tramway system. The gasoline-powered tramway was introduced by mid-April 1898. It was described as “simply a pulley drum and gasoline engine at the summit of the pass, and enough rope to reach the bottom. Sleds were hitched onto the rope, which was wound around the drum and it pulled them to the top.”
Spruce tips emerge in the spring. Photo by Vivian Mork Yeilk’.

Spruce tips bring a touch of spring in winter

In Alaska many of us spend all spring and summer harvesting foods so we can enjoy good food and nutrition all winter. We enjoy salmon,… Continue reading

Spruce tips emerge in the spring. Photo by Vivian Mork Yeilk’.
Jocelyn Clark with her gayageum. (Photo by Ijun Ryu)

Juneau-raised gayageum player, local musicians to debut new piece

Jocelyn Clark grew up in Juneau and now teaches Eastern studies at Pai Chai University in South Korea, where she has made a name for… Continue reading

Jocelyn Clark with her gayageum. (Photo by Ijun Ryu)
Mya Pecson and Jasmine Sears filming the sleepover scene in “How to Say Goodbye.” Image courtesy of Eriksen.

Juneau poet delves into grief, goodbye over the loss of close friend

When Juneau spoken word artist Christy NaMee Eriksen’s friend since childhood, Amy SoHee Henderson-Llanto, passed away Nov. 6, 2017 after a five-month battle with a… Continue reading

Mya Pecson and Jasmine Sears filming the sleepover scene in “How to Say Goodbye.” Image courtesy of Eriksen.
Rhoda Walker, right, Sharon Early, and Audrey Kohler work on their improvisation as Mike Christenson, left, and Seth Caron prepare to enter during a rehearsal at Christenson’s house on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (Michael Penn | For the Capital City Weekly)

Improv group starts ‘First Saturday’ shows

Starting at the beginning of October, members of local improv group Morally Improv-erished Inc. have found a new way to share their talent with the… Continue reading

Rhoda Walker, right, Sharon Early, and Audrey Kohler work on their improvisation as Mike Christenson, left, and Seth Caron prepare to enter during a rehearsal at Christenson’s house on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (Michael Penn | For the Capital City Weekly)
A brick wall painted by Akiko Nishijima Rotch. Courtesy image.

Behind the curtains: Set design with Akiko Nishijima Rotch

Akiko Nishijima Rotch’s journey to become a set designer began with a musician bursting through a screen. At the time, she was a 17-year-old high… Continue reading

A brick wall painted by Akiko Nishijima Rotch. Courtesy image.
The northern lights dance over Sandy Beach in September 2016. (Photo by Angelo Saggiomo)

Blame it on the sun

When my sister Megan, who lives in Miami, escaped Hurricane Irma by flying up to visit us here in Alaska, she may have jumped out… Continue reading

The northern lights dance over Sandy Beach in September 2016. (Photo by Angelo Saggiomo)
Mount Edgecumbe High School students examine a salmon stomach. Photo by Amelia Greenberg | For the Capital City Weekly

Sitka Tribe, Mount Edgecumbe school on hunt for microplastics

Each year, Alaska Native peoples head out to catch fish and hunt seals as they have for thousands of years. But if current worldwide trends… Continue reading

Mount Edgecumbe High School students examine a salmon stomach. Photo by Amelia Greenberg | For the Capital City Weekly
This signed print from artist Glenn Ojard is one of 20 that will be given away at Harbor Tea & Spice Company in January’s First Friday. Courtesy image.

January First Friday listings

“Seeing Faces” Juneau-Douglas City Museum 114 W. 4th St. 4:30-7 p.m. The Juneau Douglas City Museum will host a solo artist reception for Tsimshian carver… Continue reading

This signed print from artist Glenn Ojard is one of 20 that will be given away at Harbor Tea & Spice Company in January’s First Friday. Courtesy image.
The arrow points to where the reviewer grew up in the 1980s in conditions similiar to those in the book set in 1910. Photo by Tara Neilson.

The Awesome Alaska Book Review: ‘Hidden Harbor’ by Kathrene Pinkerton

All we had for transportation, when we first lived way out in the bush when I was a kid, was a thirteen-foot Boston Whaler powered… Continue reading

The arrow points to where the reviewer grew up in the 1980s in conditions similiar to those in the book set in 1910. Photo by Tara Neilson.
Light streams in through the trees above Mickey’s Fish Camp in Wrangell. Photo by Vivian Faith Prescott.

Planet Alaska: Sharing Our Stories

Planet Alaska began as a desire to share and celebrate the diversity of Alaska from Ketchikan to Utqiagvik. Planet Alaska is two writers/artists, a mother/daughter… Continue reading

Light streams in through the trees above Mickey’s Fish Camp in Wrangell. Photo by Vivian Faith Prescott.
A seiner getting ready to set its net close to shore. Courtesy of Tara Neilson.

The barefoot boys and the Memento

When we moved to the remote, abandoned cannery where I grew up, I was nine years old and had some vestigial memories of civilization. My… Continue reading

A seiner getting ready to set its net close to shore. Courtesy of Tara Neilson.
Red Cross volunteers as seen in a photo from the Sitka History Museum’s Johnson Collection.

Engagement rings, news, and deadbeat dads: Sitka Red Cross did it all

During World War II, the Sitka Chapter of the American Red Cross (ARC) worked to support the military personnel stationed at the Sitka Naval Operating… Continue reading

Red Cross volunteers as seen in a photo from the Sitka History Museum’s Johnson Collection.
Writer paints at Statter Harbor at Auke Bay. Image courtesy of Writer.

A Q&A with prolific Juneau artist Devita Stipek Writer

Juneau artist Devita Stipek Writer has been painting with oils and acrylics for more than 40 years. Her abstract paintings feature Southeast landscapes, frequently of… Continue reading

Writer paints at Statter Harbor at Auke Bay. Image courtesy of Writer.
A carved goat horn spoon from the Sealaska Heritage Institute archive. Sealaska Heritage Institute artifact collection. All images are the property of the Sealaska Heritage Institute. Photo by Brian Wallace.

SHI seeks goat horns to help revive traditional art

Sealaska Heritage Institute is reaching out to hunters to help revitalize the endangered art of Tlingit mountain goat horn spoon carving. Davina Cole is the… Continue reading

A carved goat horn spoon from the Sealaska Heritage Institute archive. Sealaska Heritage Institute artifact collection. All images are the property of the Sealaska Heritage Institute. Photo by Brian Wallace.
This photo served as the cover to the first edition of Douglas Vandegraft’s “A Guide to the Notorious Bars of Alaska.” “Bar in Douglas, AK, 1908” P39-0802 Copyright Alaska State Library Case & Draper Photograph Collection

A short history of alcohol and bars in Alaska

Editor’s note: This week’s Southeast in Sepia is courtesy of guest author and historian Doug Vandegraft, author of “A Guide to the Notorious Bars of… Continue reading

This photo served as the cover to the first edition of Douglas Vandegraft’s “A Guide to the Notorious Bars of Alaska.” “Bar in Douglas, AK, 1908” P39-0802 Copyright Alaska State Library Case & Draper Photograph Collection