My Kentucky childhood was filled with crawdads and minnows, butterflies and lightning bugs, and dogs and 4-H—followed by teen years filled with cars, Kurt Vonnegut, and Crosby Stills & Nash.

 

After high school graduation in 1972, I set off on a meandering migration that eventually led to Alaska. My years there were filled with experiences and memories that stamped my soul: northern lights and arctic foxes while I was working in Prudhoe Bay. Humpback whales, phosphorescent plankton, albatross, and countless other wonders while I was commercial fishing in Southeast. Birch trees, rivers, and fireweed in Fairbanks, where I waited tables, worked for the electric cooperative, and eventually graduated from University of Alaska-Fairbanks. In my mind’s eye are bears, moose, and 200-pound halibut with skin that looked like the Milky Way. Shining king salmon with their sharp scent. Marble-eyed ratfish. Bush planes, float planes, boats. In 1991 I migrated again, to Montana, with its mountain trails and wildflowers and graceful white pelicans. I shake my head at the great fortune of it all.

 

I fell into writing by chance and random opportunity, and found my heart’s home in the work. It is a joy to be able to write about and share the things I love: animals, plants, and the wondrous workings of nature. And it’s my sincere privilege to share the love with you.