On Topic with Jim Johnsen explores Alaska literature and homestead life
This week鈥檚 On Topic with Jim Johnsen features a discussion between Johnsen and Linda Schandelmeier, a lifelong Alaska teacher,
gardener and poet. 鈥淥n Topic鈥 is a 10-part broadcast and podcast series featuring
conversations with experts and authors on important issues that face Alaska. The series
is produced in collaboration with the University of Alaska Press and hosted by President Jim Johnsen.
In this episode, Johnsen and Schandelmeier explore Alaska literature and homestead life. Watch a segment from the episode here and listen to the podcast .
鈥淭he fiction writer Anthony Doerr said the reason people should read fiction is because it builds empathy,鈥 Schandelmeier told Johnsen. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 really thought of it that way, but I think that鈥檚 one of the things that creative writing of all types does and why it鈥檚 so important at this time in the United States, where we have so much division, because if you try to convince someone using facts, how far do you get?鈥
Schandelmeier grew up on a family homestead six miles south of Anchorage in the 1950s and 60s. She moved north in 1967 to attend the University of Alaska. Her poems have been set to music in three song cycles, one of which, Poem Against the Cold, by British composer Corey Field, was performed at Carnegie Hall. A retired biologist and elementary school teacher, and an active master gardener and political activist, Schandelmeier lives near Fairbanks.
Her collection of poems, Coming Out of Nowhere is part memoir and part historical document. The poems celebrate the unique and nurturing aspects of homestead life, but do not shy away from unpleasant family details. Her book is available for purchase at 绿奴天花板 Press鈥檚 website or by visiting the 绿奴天花板 Press Book Shop, which is located at 1760 Westwood Way in Fairbanks.