Site of the Month: A State Reads, a State Writes

LitSite Alaska: litsite.alaska.edu

Most of us down here in the Lower 48 don't usually think of literature first when we think of Alaska. But a visit to the e-zine LitSite Alaska may change a few opinions. The site features writers and readers—and librarians—all over the state, both for adults and for young people. University of Alaska creative writing professor Ronald Spatz (spatz@alaska.net), who founded the site last year, says, "I thought we could really use the Internet in an important way— to put together a Web magazine that builds windows into people's lives through narrative."

Words for kids: LitSite Alaska spotlights several state projects involving young people, such as "Perfect World," the Anchorage Daily News' weekly youth section run by a group of teenage writers and editors. Also featured is "Pencils Full of Stars," a collection of poetry written by elementary children across the Anchorage school district and published since 1970. The site also includes book reviews by first through fifth graders.

LitSite librarians: Spatz feels it's essential to promote the role of librarians in the huge, sparsely populated state. (For example, check out the page on "The Floating Bookmobile.") "Librarians have been included in the development of LitSite Alaska right from the beginning," says Spatz. "[They] help to build communities. We want Alaskans to know who their librarians are and what librarians are doing for their communities." And the site profiles several librarians, including Jane Baird, a young adult librarian in Anchorage, who grew up in villages along the Yukon River. Her bio notes that "the airplane that dropped the mail every week also dropped a box of books from the Alaska State Library. Those books from the air made Baird wonder about the place they came from, and the people who got to choose them."

Into the future: "This is a project for the long haul," says Spatz. "We're just beginning." He wants to tell the stories of more Alaska libraries and librarians—particularly the state's school libraries—and to feature projects of interest to teachers and students. A state oral history project is in development, as is expansion of reading and writing workbooks for Alaska schools.