Lynn Lovegreen
YA historicals in Alaska

Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read in Alaska and beyond. Freedom of speech is part of our U.S. Constitution. So, what is happening to the freedom of speech in Alaska and other states? Just like many other places, the freedom of speech is cherished here. Just try to tell Alaskans they can’t express their opinion, on anything from the best way to smoke salmon to their political views, and you’ll have a fight on your hands. We all have a right to express ourselves. Th

I’ve often written about Latine & Hispanic Heritage Month and recommended books by Latine and Hispanic authors before. If you’d like to see last year’s post, go to https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/books-for-hispanic-heritage-month. But this year, I’m going to talk about this from a different angle. We should read widely for many reasons, including giving representation to this important part of our population. It’s good for kids to see their world reflected in books. For

In the last few weeks, I’ve applied for two different writing opportunities. While I hope I get the award and the retreat placement, either way I’m glad I went through the process. Writing applications has given me the chance to think about what my vision of success is and what I want to do with my writing. That is valuable whether I “win” or not. Your idea of writing success may be different from mine. Maybe you want to prove you can write a whole book, or set family stori

I’ve been going to the Alaska State Fair for over fifty years. It’s gotten bigger over the years, but the carnival booths and rides and the livestock barn are in the same locations they’ve always been. The pumpkin and cabbage competitions never cease to amaze me. I’ve convinced a third generation of our family that the salmon quesadillas are a required part of the experience. I find comfort in all of this. But what makes it even more special is that my family is a small par

Seward is a town on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska. The area was a trading center for thousands of years, and current home of the Qutekcak Native Tribe serving Alutiiq/Sugpiaq people and Alaska Native families I the region. The town is at the head of what Russian explorers named Resurrection Bay, another hint at its long history. The Iditarod National Historical Trail also starts there, part of the trail network to carry mail and goods by dog sled

This is a great time to catch up on books with authors and main characters with disabilities. I’ve written about book recs for Disability Pride Month before (https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/disability-pride-month-book-recs) so I will make a list of the older ones, then jump in with two other titles you may enjoy. Here’s some you may already be familiar with—see the link above for more details, or go to the authors’ websites below. Middle Grade: Farther Than the Moon by L

It's summer in Alaska, which means we're all a bit manic as we revel in the long days and spend as much time as we can enjoying the state. This is the season for traveling, boating, fishing, hiking, camping, gardening, grilling, whatever you do outdoors when it's warm and sunny--or at least daylight for hours at a time! Here are some photos I took this summer. Hope you're having a nice season wherever you are. Nagoonberry blossoms Forest floor foliage Nenana River Portage Lak

America 250 is the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, hosted by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission established by Congress in 2016. In addition to national events, each state has the opportunity to participate with their own efforts. Our state historian, Katie Ringsmuth, chose baseball and storytelling for Alaska’s theme events. Why baseball? It’s a natural for us. Baseball is often called our national pastime, and baseball games ar

Image via Stencil As you know, I value rainbow books and queer authors. Pride Month is a great time to highlight some of my favorites. If you want to see my past takes on this, check out last year’s post here: https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/rainbow-book-month-2025. For this year, I’ll recommend two books I’ve read recently, then give you my top five picks for Pride Month and beyond. Here are two YA anthologies I’ve read in the last year that include pieces written by qu

May is Asian & Pacific American or Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (also known as AAPI or AANHPI) Heritage Month! I’ve talked about this before, but it’s always a good time to point out some of my favorite authors. In last year’s post, I recommended Sayantani DasGupta, June Hur, Sarah Kuhn, Lyla Lee, Stacey Lee, Randy Ribay, and Sherry Thomas. (See https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/authors-for-aapi-aanhpi-heritage-month.) That post is still worth read

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, a great time to talk about books by Jewish authors! You’re welcome to see my previous post of recommendations of Jewish YA authors at https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/jewish-american-heritage-month-2024. Here are two books I enjoyed recently to add to your reading list: The Bletchley Riddle is a middle grade mystery by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin with a historical foundation. Lizzie and Jakob have always loved riddles and puzzles

If you’re living through early 2026, I don’t have to tell you that it’s a stressful time. (If you’re reading this later on, I’ll just mention the war with Iraq and other illegal actions by our administration, inflation, and book bans to give you a taste). Many of us are doing our best to make a difference, to influence things in a positive way. Some are using the word resistance to indicate that we are working against the people who are tearing things apart. But all of this

National Library Week 2026 National Library Week is April 19-25 this year. It started in 1958 as a way to celebrate libraries, one of the oldest and most trusted institutions in America. As I mentioned in my last post ( https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/akla-and-how-you-can-support-libraries ), libraries need our support now more than ever. This year’s theme is “Find Your Joy!” You can discover many joys at the library, like stopping by your favorite library, helping a

I just returned from the AkLA 2026 conference—AkLA stands for the Alaska Library Association. Over one hundred librarians and library supporters met in Sitka for three days of sessions, networking, and reading nerdery! Sitka is a beautiful town in Southeast Alaska-see my earlier posts about Sitka at these links: https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/sitka-alaska and https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/sitka-s-april-fool-prank . The AkLA conference was in the Harrigan Centen

It’s Women’s History Month, and a perfect time to honor women in Alaskan history! Today, I’ll introduce you to Susan Butcher, beloved musher and Iditarod champion. Photo courtesy of Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, source https://alaskasportshall.org/inductee/susan-butcher/ Susan Butcher was born in Massachusetts in 1954, started dog mushing in Colorado, then came to Alaska at age 19. After she started Trail Breaker Kennel in Eureka, Iditarod founder and famed musher Joe Redingto

Open World Championship Sled Dog Races Anchorage is celebrating the 91 st Fur Rondy this year! This annual festival is known for many events, including the Open World Championship Sled Dog Races , Running of the Reindeer, Outhouse Races, Snowshoe Softball, and many, many more. This year, Buddy Streeper broke the record for most wins in the Open World Championship Sled Dog Races —well done, Buddy! https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2026/03/01/buddy-streeper-w

from the U.S. Mint: 2020 $1 coin featuring Elizabeth Peratrovich and Tlingit-style raven Today is Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, an Alaska state holiday for one of our most important historical figures. Elizabeth Peratrovich (Ḵaax̱gal.aat) was of the indigenous Tlingit Lukaax.ádi clan, and the grand president of the Alaska Native Sisterhood. She and her husband worked tirelessly advocating for their community. At that time, Alaska Natives were discriminated against in public pl

Leonhard Seppala with sled dogs from his kennel. From left to right - Togo, Karinsky, Jafet, Pete, unknown dog, Fritz Note: this a reprise from a previous blog post One hundred and one years ago, the town of Nome, Alaska had a diptheria outbreak. Children in the small town were desperately ill, some even dying, and the one doctor in town, remembering the 1918 flu epidemic, was afraid the disease would spread like wildfire. Diptheria serum, an antitoxin, could nip it in the bu

I usually choose a watchword of the year to set my intention for the next twelve months. Last year’s word was Perseverance . (See https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/2025-watchword-perseverance .) My word for 2026 is Joy . I choose Joy to remind myself to find joy in people, activities, and the world around me. I hope to appreciate and enjoy the big and little things in life, whether it’s a cup of tea, a great book, a lovely sunset, or time with my loved ones. Here are some

I usually set a goal to read 12 or more books in a year. I didn’t come close to meeting it this round, thanks to a new grandbaby taking most of my free time. (Good excuse, if I may say so!) But I still found several books I really enjoyed. Here is the list of my favorite reads of 2025—some were published before then, and I didn’t get to reading them until this year. Adult books: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/fredrik-backman Another