Hank Nuwer Alaska Yarns
My Travel Blog
Hey there, readers
Welcome. Enjoy the official story clearinghouse of Alaska author Hank Nuwer with photos by Malgorzata (Gosia) Nuwer. Scroll down to very bottom of this main page for archived stories.
Hank Nuwer: University of Alaska (Fairbanks) adjunct professor Hank Nuwer lives, writes, and acts (community theater) in northern Alaska.
Awards: Ball State University Journalism Hall of Fame, Buffalo State University honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Outstanding Alumnus, and BSU athletic Hall of Fame (team award). 2025 Alaska Children’s Trust Champion, 2025. 2025 Hoosier State Press Association first-place winner for commentary, 2023 and 2024 Alaska Press Club (APC) First-Place Columnist of the Year, and 2022 Ohio SPJ First-Place Columnist of the Year. Additional Indiana state awards for column and business writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is a member of SPJ (and contest judge), Investigative Reporters and Editors, Biographers International, Western Writers of America, and Sons of the American Legion.
Gosia Nuwer photographs Alaska and its wildlife. She and Hank reside in Fairbanks, Alaska, with 5 acres in remote Alaska, a vacation cabin in Poland, and a vacation home in Union City, Indiana. She is an accountant by profession. Read about Gosia on CNN and People Magazine online.
Gosia and her husband Hank in 2025 contributed an article on Alaska back-road trips for Phi Kappa Phi’s Forum Magazine.
Podcast in The Culture
Charles J. Shields on editing and allegations regarding Vonnegut stock ownership
Although I found fault with "And So It Goes," the biography of Kurt Vonnegut, I found this interview with Shields on editing to be well worth the reading. Perhaps the problem with accuracy lies with his editors. Shields said this to an interviewer: I don’t get...
Oodles of Doodles by Kurt Vonnegut, a coffeetable book
Here is the link to a review. Kurt Vonnegut Drawings: edited by Nanette Vonnegut It's in coffeetable book format. Try not to spill your coffee on its pages. .)
He loved her to death
He loved her to death. By Hank Nuwer All married couples make one beautiful promise at the outset. “Until death do us part.” My friends Jimmy and Karen made that same vow. Unfortunately, each made a bad choice. Each put another before them. Jimmy...
Reading now: Frostlines by Neil Shea
Photo: by Gosia Nuwer Everybody has THAT book they say they can't put down. Frostlines by Neil Shea is a book I'm finishing, but have put down several times--to ponder. Shea sees the world like a man who has SEEN the ARCTIC world, and I trust his voice on paper in...
First wild hare of spring
Gosia and I experienced a smiling moment when I opened the kitchen curtains today. For a good 30 seconds, we enjoyed a visit from a white hare. Either its color was changing or it had brushed against some black snow. Then, the hare bounded off. Perhaps it was the...
Review: A Final Valiant Act: The Story of Doug Dickey, Medal of Honor by James B. Lang
A Final Valiant Act: The Story of Doug Dickey, Medal of Honor by James B. Lang The urge begins as a mere impulse. “I could write a book,” someone thinks. “I should write a book.” While millions have confessed a similar urge, few start — let alone finish — the task....
The lonely life of an Alaskan lightkeeper
By Hank Nuwer, Cordova Times columnist Few occupations were more beset with drudgery, isolation and loneliness than the occupation of a lighthouse keeper in Alaska. For this column, I thought I would write about the early history of lighthouses in Alaska. Buoys first...
Selected book reviews by Hank Nuwer
I read daily and love reading. I also like reading book reviews by savvy reviewers like New Yorker/Slate reviewer Katy Waldman, particularly her review of The Brothers Karamazov (Bernard and Kurt Vonnegut) by Ginger Strand in Slate. Here are just a few of my book...
Opening weekend: The Sunshine Boys: Hap Ryder Theater
THIS weekend, we invite you to see The Sunshine Boys at the Hap Ryder Theater. We have had good dress rehearsals all week and we'll be presenting the Neil Simon comedy for the NEXT three weekends. Come say hello to moi afterwords. I'm the actor in the funny pants and...