Stories, Journalism & Vonnegut Bio Hank Nuwer
Grab a coffee and enjoy the story clearinghouse of Hank Nuwer with photos of Alaska and its wildlife by Malgorzata (Gosia) Nuwer.
You’ll find that I’ve added some finished and partially finished biography-in-progress of Kurt Vonnegut, “The Man in the Hole.”
Hank Nuwer’s Indiana University Press books on hazing. Podcast in The Culture
Podcast of “Weed in the Garden of Academe” with Hank Nuwer
Scroll down for archived Realalaskadaily stories.Thank you for reading. Got a compliment or gripe? Drop a line to Hjnuwer@Alaska.edu. Gosia and I want to keep this site ad-free. Trying to raise funds for last-minute research on my Kurt Vonnegut biography: “Kurt Vonnegut: The Man in the Hole. A Life of Reinvention.” (“Not authorized, but authentic scholarship”). Your donation would be so helpful: Hank Nuwer, PO Box 73446; Fairbanks, AK 99707-3446.
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...
The short life and legacy of hazing victim Walter Dean Jennings
Documentary: This is one of the most compelling investigations on hazing that I have been involved in as a hazing expert. I think it is a good film for high school and college students to watch as a cautionary tale. It occurred at a SUNY school in Plattsburgh. Note...
Reading The Last Giant of Beringia: The Mystery of the Bering Land Bridge
Author Dan O'Neill has written an outstanding biography of geologist Dave Hopkins. It's also a biography of a submerged place. Have your library order it. A must read for Arctic worshippers.
And So It Goes by Charles J. Shields. Review: A Kurt Vonnegut bio in need of factchecking
Related article: Relatives of Kurt Vonnegut enrolled as members in Nazi Party Charles J. Shields, And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life. Henry Holt and Company, (hardcover with introduction; paperback with introduction excised by publisher without explanation). ...
Misadventures in Stooge Paradise (2021 reprint)
My wife Gosia and I returned yesterday from a working vacation in Alaska. The mountains wore a majestic white cape of snow. As we drove hairpin turns on the Kenai Peninsula, the Avis rental car belched an ominous warning noise. Gulp, a dashboard icon predicted...