Dec 16, 2009
Books: “Shopping for Porcupine – A Life in Arctic Alaska” (by Seth Kantner)

Milkweed Editions – Beginning with his parents’ migration to the wilderness of Arctic Alaska and extending to contemporary struggles between subsistence living and sport hunting, Shopping for Porcupine provides an illuminating, unforgettable account of life in the far north. A grown man’s appreciation for his young daughter’s unfettered understanding of language; enlightened meditations on the permanence, severity, and grandeur of nature; and finally, elegiac warnings and stirring calls to action—taken together, these essays provide a revealing portrait of the author of the bestselling novel Ordinary Wolves, and of the land he so deeply loves.
Other information:
- NPR: “‘Ordinary Wolves’: Tales from the Alaskan Wilderness” (Dec. 28, 2004).
- Minnesota Public Radio: “Shopping for Porcupine” (Sept 24, 2008).
- University of Alaska Anchorage Podcast: “Panel discussion: How Life in the Arctic is Depicted” (Nov. 10, 2009). Discussion features Seth Kantner, Phyllis Fast, James Labelle, and Karla Booth.
- University of Alaska Anchorage Podcast: “Author Seth Kantner reads from Shopping for Porcupine” (Jan. 19, 2010). Click on link for audio podcast, or listen below.
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