Category Archives: Life Stories

Over the years, I have been fortunate to experience memorable sunrises in many parts of the world….

This story and photo have been accepted for publication in Volume 33, Issue 1, Spring 2026, Alaska Women Speak.

I would never have guessed that a routine acupuncture session would have such a profound impact on my life….

This story and photo were published in Volume 32, Issue 4, Winter 2025/2026, Alaska Women Speak.

My wish to experience a total solar eclipse was pulled out of the fire thanks to a chance email from a friend….

This story and photo were published in Volume 32, Issue 3, Fall 2025, Alaska Women Speak.

When making summer plans, we hope, and typically assume, that the days will be filled with glorious sunshine. Unfortunately, the weather we envision when making our plans often does not match what actually occurs….

This story was published in Volume 32, Issue 3, Fall 2024, Alaska Women Speak.

The word “luck” conjures up vivid images in my mind, and also carries a number of different meanings….

This story was published in Volume 32, Issue 1, Spring 2024, Alaska Women Speak and was nominated for a 2024 Pushcart Prize.

On June 9, 1991, at age thirty-nine, I placed a one-time ad in the Sunday Singles section of the Anchorage Daily News. As I would later come to learn, taking that step changed my life in several important ways….

This story was published in Volume 31, Issue 4, Winter 2023, Alaska Women Speak.

On May 24, 1998, my sweetheart and partner, John, received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard in Juneau, Alaska. The conversation was brief and to the point. They said I would not be on the flight from Petropavlovsk, Russia, to Anchorage later that day. It was implied the delay was weather-related. No further details were provided, even though there was much more to be said….

This story was published in Volume 31, Issue 1, Winter 2022/2023, Alaska Women Speak.

While on a business trip to British Columbia in September 2011, I first learned of an event that would captivate me for the rest of my life. It all began when I stumbled on a documentary entitled Crane Song at the end of an exhausting day….

This story was published in Volume 30, Issue 3, Summer 2022, Alaska Women Speak and was nominated for a 2022 Pushcart Prize.

After finishing junior high school, my ongoing campaign with my parents to find a summer job ramped up. I was excited to learn that Pioneer, a seed corn company, was hiring teenage girls for several weeks in the summer to detassel corn. My parents reluctantly allowed me to apply; I was ecstatic to be hired at the ripe old age of thirteen. Little did I know at the time, that my detasseling career would be very short indeed.

This story was published in Volume 30, Issue 1, Winter 2022, Alaska Women Speak.