Posts by MELISSA COFFMAN
Caught in the Rush, by W. Mace Brady
Caught in the Rush, by W. Mace Brady As the depression of 1893 worsened, many began seeking a new life. By 1895, hundreds of banks and thousands of businesses had gone under. As the stock market collapsed, jobs became scarce, and the value of the dollar declined. In 1894, Bill Schooley, with two childhood friends,…
Read MoreAnswering Alaska’s Call, by Linda Fritz
Answering Alaska’s Call, by Linda Fritz Milo Fritz always dreamed big, ever eager to push the boundaries of what was considered possible. In 1940, the young Columbia- and Duke-educated eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist and his wife Betsy, an RN, leave the familiar comforts of Milo’s hometown of Pelham, New York to begin a…
Read MoreYoung Men Go North, by Joe Upton
Young Men Go North, by Joe Upton “I went up on the Star of Alaska in 1918.” It was 1965 and an old timer was spinning a tale for 18-year-old Joe Upton. Of sailing up from San Francisco to Alaska’s remote and austere Bristol Bay aboard a square-rigged ship loaded with Chinese cannery workers, Norwegian…
Read MoreIt’s Always Uphill from the Dock, by Ann B. Irish
It’s Always Uphill from the Dock, by Ann B. Irish Here is a look at the Puget Sound islands throughout history—the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Bainbridge and Vashon Islands, and many others. Featured are the people who have come to the islands: Native Americans, explorers, entrepreneurs, settlers and visitors. We learn of the Native…
Read MoreUniversity Ghost Story, by Nick DiMartino
University Ghost Story, by Nick DiMartino Dr. Veronica Glass, professor of English literature at the University of Washington, does not believe in ghosts. She’s trying to teach a course on the Victorian ghost story and having trouble with a couple of her students because of it. Matt Braddon, her new tenant, has returned to Seattle,…
Read MoreHo’kwat, by David Hooper
Ho’kwat, by David Hooper John Williams, an aging Englishman, recounts his adventures from the early 1800s, which include his service as a young Royal Navy officer at the Battle of Trafalgar and a traumatic shipwreck at sea. He becomes a British spy and embarks on a voyage to the Columbia River, which ends with the…
Read MoreHardship Alaska, by Donald Proffit
Hardship Alaska, by Donald Proffit Some memories of his two years of alternative service as a Vietnam-era conscientious objector continue to haunt Donald Proffit, aka Buzz, in unresolved conversations and partings over dinners and by front doors, in beds and at bars. Others, however, have been exorcized completely, leaving him with a better understanding of who…
Read MoreVoyage of the Eclipse, by Erik T. Hirschmann
Voyage of the Eclipse, by Erik T. Hirschmann Spring 1802, the apex of the lucrative Pacific maritime fur trade. After troubled encounters in the South Pacific and Hawai’i, the crew of the Boston brig Eclipse gamble their lives on the Alaskan coast amid furiously competitive English and American ships, Russian fur hunters, and hostile Tlingit…
Read MoreWriting on the Edge, by David A. James
Writing on the Edge, by David A. James Writing on the Edge brings together twenty-four authors who use literary essays and fiction to describe contemporary life in Alaska in the twenty-first century. Spanning the state from the Southwest Panhandle to the Arctic coast, from the rugged landlocked Interior to the rough open seas, from wide…
Read MoreSeattle Ghost Story, by Nick DiMartino
Seattle Ghost Story, by Nick DiMartino Ever since a mysterious, fatal accident in the ravine, Pepper Merlino’s world has become a place of fear. Her neighbor, Joe Strozza, a Chicago artist with AIDS who’s come to Seattle to die, is being tormented by unrelenting nightmares. Eleven-year-old Billy Beck, who witnessed the fatal accident, has been…
Read More