Speaking of Recent

23. May 2011 by John Smelcer.

On April 21, 2011, I gave a lecture at Harvard University’s Woodberry Library.

My lecture, part of the Woodberry Omniglot Seminars, was about my two Alaska Native dictionaries and my new bilingual poetry book, Beautiful Words: The Complete Ahtna Poems (Truman State UP, 2011).

My visit was sponsored by The Harvard Review.

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U.S. Senator Ted Stevens to be missed

10. August 2010 by John Smelcer.

Former Alaskan U. S. Senator Ted Stevens died in a plane crash in Alaska. “Uncle Ted” to Alaskans, was elected in 1968, and was the longest serving Republican senator in US history. At one time, he was Senate Pro Tempe, third in line to the presidency. He was always a friend to Alaska and to John Smelcer. As a high school senior, Sen. Stevens nominated John for a cadet appointment at West Point. When that did not materialize, he helped John win a four-year Army ROTC scholarship. In the mid-to-late 1990s, Stevens helped John secure grants for his research in Alaska Native languages and cultures and tried to help him obtain funds to build a museum. In 2006, Sen. Stevens generously provided a back cover blurb for John’s The Day That Cries Forever. He will be missed.

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(Almost) Killed in Cleveland!

30. June 2010 by John Smelcer.

In true Easy Rider fashion, I took a motorcycle trip across America. I was going from New York to visit the Rosebud gang in Madison, Wisconsin. All-in-all, a 2,000 mile trip. While going through downtown Cleveland on I-86, one of the busiest interstates in the nation, my oil plug suddenly fell out, spilling three quarts of hot oil all over my rear tire. The bike went out of control, fish-tailing across all four lanes. I thought I was going to die. All I could do was to keep from flipping the bike and being run over by the rush of semis on my ass. I shot off the freeway and across the grass along the road before wrecking. I spent the next several hours tracking down a plug, oil, degreaser, and enough paper towels to clean the tire. If there’s any consolation, an old, retired Black man named Dwight, who lived a block away helped me, staying with me for hours, and driving me around looking for parts. He wouldn’t accept a dime. Sometimes people amaze me.

Here’s a picture of my motorcycle and a covered bridge in northern Ohio.

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Want an autographed book or two …

2. June 2010 by John Smelcer.

In case you would like to order a book or two … I’ve posted an order form online at http://johnsmelcer.com/books.html. The best part of the old-fashioned way of ordering … I’ll autograph it before it is shipped!

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On The Edge of Availability

7. April 2010 by John Smelcer.

Coming mid-summer 2010 … The Edge of Nowhere.

A brief summary of the book: A year after his mother died in a car crash, 16 year old Seth Evanoff and his dog, Tucker, fall off his father’s commercial fishing boat during a storm in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An air and sea search comes up empty, and Seth is presumed drowned. For many months, the two castaways must endure hardships to survive off the land and the sea, as they work their way home from island to island. Edge of Nowhere is more than an adventure novel. It’s also a story about reconciliation, about heritage, and about struggling to deal with grief.

Read more about the book’s origin at my website, www.johnsmelcer.com, on the web page “Books.”

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A New February Love

30. January 2010 by John Smelcer.

Due out in February 2010 — Raven Speaks.

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Another to be missed.

30. January 2010 by John Smelcer.

My long time friend J. D. Salinger, the author of the classic Catcher in the Rye, died January 27, 2010, at the age of 91. Somewhat of a recluse in his last years, Jerry had generously edited my stories for my collection, Darkness & Other Stories. I visited him once in New Hampshire. I met him at his home in Cornish, NH in 1999. John Updike introduced me.

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A great gift for all …

6. December 2009 by John Smelcer.

Don’t forget to read my Ahtna and Alutiiq dictionaries on my website www.johnsmelcer.com.

The Ahtna Noun Dictionary includes a foreword by Noam Chomsky; the Alutiiq Noun Dictionary includes a foreword by H. H. The Dalai Lama.

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I'm a father-in-law!

5. August 2009 by John Smelcer.

This summer my daughter, Zara Smelcer, got married to her long-time boyfriend, Damion Minchaca, a soldier in the National Guard. I’m a father-in-law! Zara’s a senior at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

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Crossed an ocean …

23. January 2009 by John Smelcer.

Went to Dublin, Ireland this summer. Hung around for a week, went to see the usuals: the Guinness factory, the Jamieson Whiskey factory, The Book of Kells at Trinity College, the old churches, pubs, and even hung with James Joyce.

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Archive for the Uncategorized Category

Speaking of Recent

U.S. Senator Ted Stevens to be missed

(Almost) Killed in Cleveland!

Want an autographed book or two …

On The Edge of Availability

A New February Love

Another to be missed.

A great gift for all …

I'm a father-in-law!

Crossed an ocean …