We are proud to share that Irene Rowan, a founding member of the Alaska Native Media Board, received the Howard Rock/Tom Snapp First Amendment Award from the Alaska Press Club on April 18.
The annual award recognizes an individual, group, or organization in Alaska that has promoted, defended, or preserved rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is named for Howard Rock, founder of the Tundra Times, and journalist Tom Snapp.
Irene attended the event in person, and her daughter, Rochene Hellén, delivered acceptance remarks on her behalf, honoring her mother’s lifelong commitment to Indigenous rights, community voice, and the power of a free press.
In her speech, Rochene reflected on how the Tundra Times connected rural Alaska Native communities to critical issues affecting their lands and people, and how that experience helped inspire Irene’s later work supporting Native journalists and amplifying rural voices.
Please join us in congratulating Irene on this well-deserved recognition and thanking her for decades of leadership, vision, and service.
Irene Rowan Receives First Amendment Award from the Alaska Press ClubIrene Rowan Receives First Amendment Award from the Alaska Press Club. Irene Rowan standing with Angela Gonzalez, and Joaqlin Estus and Rhonda McBride.
Conversations on culture, community, and issues shaping Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — On Feb. 16, Alaska Native Media Group (ANMG) and partner Alaska Teen Media Institute will release four one-hour radio/podcast episodes free to public radio and other stations, as well as online. Stations may broadcast and rebroadcast the episodes in any order and at any time that best fits their schedules. Listeners can find the podcasts at alaskanativemedia.org/radio-show/.
NATIVE Voices features Alaska Native community leaders in conversation about lived experiences and issues that are often misrepresented or left unanswered in public discourse, including subsistence, tribal sovereignty, and Native corporations.
The first four episodes are hosted by Hannah Bissett (Dena’ina Athabascan) and produced by longtime Alaska reporters Joaqlin Estus (Tlingit) and Rhonda McBride. The Alaska Teen Media Institute recorded and edited all the episodes.
Episode titles (full descriptions below):
Episode 1 – ABCs of Native organizations
Episode 2 – Tribal Sovereignty in Alaska
Episode 3 – The Soul of Subsistence, part one, from the Uncle’s perspective
Episode 4 – The Soul of Subsistence, part two, from the Auntie’s perspective
Bissett is a four-time Alaska Broadcasters Association Goldie Award winner and a graduate student in public policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Estus and McBride produced two episodes apiece and were inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame for their work in journalism. McBride is a news producer at KNBA, and Estus is a retired ICT (Indian Country Today) and public radio reporter. Bissett and Estus also serve on the Alaska Native Media Group board.
The effort has been led by Irene Rowan (Tlingit), a longtime advocate for ANCSA and a founding member of ANMG, who said, “I’m so happy that we did this. It’s been a dream of mine for years.” She worked closely with Hallie Bissett (Dena’ina Athabascan), a former CIRI board member, owner of HB Strategies, and chair of the NATIVE Voices advisory group. Produced on Dena’ina land in Anchorage, NATIVE Voices grew out of discussions by that group, which represents the major Native cultures of Alaska. The project was funded in 2025.
For its first four episodes, NATIVE Voices was funded by a grant from The CIRI Foundation. ANMG is now seeking additional funding and partnerships to continue production on new topics and episodes.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Alaska Native Media Group’s purpose is to promote and advance Alaska Natives in the media. It offers a number of ways to get involved, including attending a meeting or an event, becoming a member, making a donation or joining our email group. Visit https://alaskanativemedia.org/membership/ to become a member.
Program descriptions
Episode 1 — ABCs of Native Organizations(59:00)
Focus: How Alaska Native corporations, tribes, and nonprofits shape daily life and relationships in our communities.
Guests:Nicole Borromeo (Upper Kuskokwim Athabascan), president, ANCSA Regional Association; Gerad Godfrey (Alutiiq), president, 3G Strategies; and Michelle Demmert, J.D. (Tlingit), assistant professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Cultural through-line: Governance and membership decisions (who belongs, how we share, and how we relate across families and communities) are cultural acts. The episode explores how Alaska’s unique non-reservation framework carries forward cultural priorities—education, Elders’ care, and community well-being—through Native-led institutions.
Episode 2 — Tribal Sovereignty in Alaska (59:00)
Focus: Tribal sovereignty and the context for the Chin’an Gaming Hall in Chugiak.
Guests:Aaron Leggett (Dena’ina Athabascan), president, Native Village of Eklutna; and Harriet Brouillette (Tlingit), tribal administrator, Chilkoot Indian Association.
Cultural through-line: Sovereignty is lived culture—expressed through stewardship of land and water, responsibilities to people and place, and decision-making reflecting community values. Discussion includes the role of Native allotments and how development choices are guided by cultural responsibilities and protocols.
Episode 3 — The Soul of Subsistence, Part One: Uncle’s perspective (58:30)
Focus: Subsistence expresses fundamental Alaska Native values including spirituality, community, generosity, respect, and love.
Guests:Roy Ashenfelter (Iñupiaq), longtime subsistence hunter-fisher and 2022 winner of the Alaska Federation of Natives Katie John Hunter-Fisher Award, Bering Straits Native Corporation board member; and Aassanaaq (Ossie) Kairaiuak (Yup’ik), artist, storyteller, composer and musician with the “Inuit soul music” group Pamyua.
Cultural through-line: While the word subsistence carries the connotation of people eking out a bare living off the land, the Native practice in Alaska nourishes the spirituality of Alaska Native people. Guests describe what it takes to be a respected subsistence provider: someone who is humble, respectful, generous, and highly skilled.
Episode 4 — The Soul of Subsistence, Part Two: Auntie’s perspective (58:30)
Focus: Subsistence is so much more than food on the table, as it fosters health, well-being, and strengthens traditional values.
Guests:Anna Sattler (Yup’ik), former community liaison, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, current host of TV coverage of AFN convention, producer of a cooking show about Native subsistence foods, “Anna’s Alaska: Off the Eaten Path”; Maija Katak Lukin (Iñupiaq), former Native relations program manager for the National Park Service’s Alaska region, past mayor of Kotzebue; and Donna Sauraq Erickson (Iñupiaq), Unalakleet manager for Bering Air, cultural leader, and artist.
Cultural through-line: Guests describe the knowledge and skill it takes to produce food, art and clothing drawn from nature, as well as the joy, sense of belonging, and feeling of plenty that comes with sharing food with extended family and community members.
Save the date for the 7th Annual Alaska Native Book Fair & Authors Event! Gather with us to support Alaska Native authors and creators. We look forward to seeing you on April 17 at the Cook Inlet Tribal Council located at 3600 San Jeronimo Dr., Anchorage!
Indigenous authors featured at 5th annual Alaska Native Book Fair Celebrating and encouraging reading, writing, and creativity
Anchorage, AK (Updated April 11, 2025) – More than a dozen Indigenous authors will be featured at the Annual Alaska Native Book Fair on April 18, a social and literary event that brings together published authors, aspiring writers, and Alaskans of all ages to celebrate Indigenous storytelling and learn about publishing.
What: Alaska Native Book Fair Date: April 18, 2025 Time: 12 – 4 p.m. — Free Admission Where: Cook Inlet Tribal Council, 3600 San Jeronimo Dr., Anchorage, AK
At this year’s book fair, people can meet and talk with Iñupiaq James Dommek, Jr., author and narrator of the hair-raising survival audiobook Midnight Son; Indigenous author Lily Tuzroyluke, who wrote the gripping Iñupiaq historical novel Sivulluq: Ancestor; and Dena’ina Athabascan Annie Wenstrup, author of The Museum of Unnatural Histories, and the 2025 winner of the Whiting Foundation poetry prize for exceptional new writers.
Feel free to chat with other participating authors: Beverly Sims (Our Fur-fathers of Southwest Alaska: Kalmakoff, Kameroff, Kamkoff), Aurora Hardy (Windswept: Chitina, Alaska Childhood), the Atwaters (How Raven Got His Crooked Nose), Katherine Gottlieb (His Hand Upon Me), Miranda Miller (Muddy Paws + Messy Trucks), Maria Williams (The Alaska Native Reader), Joni Spiess (Mittens and Mukluks! Winter in Alaska), Sharon Kay (Learn to Weave an Attu Basket), Holly Miowak Guise (Alaska Native Resilience: Voices from WWII); and Caitlyn Elias (The Other Side of the River: An Alaska Native Story by Elias Kelly). Books by the featured authors and other Indigenous writers will be for sale at the event. Guests are welcome to bring their own books for autographs.
PBS’ Molly of Denali will be there from noon-2 p.m.
The event will also host a panel of three Alaska Native writers discussing their memoirs as works in progress. The writer’s panel will be from 2-3 p.m., and will be live streamed over Facebook at www.facebook.com/events/808704001306061/.
In telling their personal stories, these authors hope to inspire others to write the story of their own lives. Panel moderators will be Rhonda McBride of KNBA, and Joaqlin Estus, a retired journalist. Panelists are:
Emil Notti, Alaska Federation of Natives president in the years leading up to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
Sam Kito, Jr., a Japanese-Tlingit elder and lobbyist who was interned in a concentration camp during World War II.
Cynthia Notti, who has a middle grade book on the influenza pandemic in the works and is contributing to her father Emil’s biography.
“The Alaska Native Book Fair is a great time for people to meet published authors, to learn about developing your own writing skills, to get autographs, and to visit with people who love to read,” said Kristel Komakhuk, Chair of the 2025 Alaska Native Book Fair. “It’s also a reminder of the powerful role of storytelling in keeping our Indigenous traditions and heritage alive.”
Sponsored by: Alaska Native Media Group, Atwood Foundation, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Talking Circle Media, FSBO System, Alaska Center for the Book, University of Alaska, Anchorage School District Indigenous Education, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Calista Education and Culture, Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, Aleut Corporation, Marie Matthews, and others.
The Nellie Moore Alaska Native Journalism Scholarship Fund is now live on the Alaska Community Foundation website. Nellie was a founding board member of the Alaska Native Media Group. Thank you to the committee for making this scholarship happen in memory of the late Nellie Moore.
AWARD-WINNING AUTHORSFEATURED AT 5th ANNUAL ALASKA NATIVE BOOK FAIR EVENT
Award-winning Alaska Native authors Velma Wallis and Lily Tuzroyluke will be featured at the 5th Annual Alaska Native Book Fair on April 19, a literary event that brings together published authors, aspiring writers, and Alaskans of all ages to celebrate indigenous storytelling and learn about the world of publishing.
The event will include a panel of Alaska Native authors who have written memoirs, including Wallis (“Raising Ourselves” and “Two Old Women”), Katherine Gottlieb (“His Hand Upon Me”), and Carlton Smith (“Roots Tree Totem”). In telling their personal stories, these authors hope to inspire others to write the story of their own lives. Twelve published Alaska Native authors will attend the event and will also be offering their books for sale, including children’s illustrated books, Alaska Native history, autobiographies, and fiction.
“This is an opportunity for new authors to learn about developing their writing skills and for experienced authors to share their unique perspectives with other writers. It’s also a fun time to purchase some wonderful Alaskan books and chat with the authors, as well as leaders in our Native community,” said Roberta Miljure, Chair of the 2024 Alaska Native Book Fair. “Storytelling is a part of our Alaska Native culture. It’s a powerful and healing way to keep our indigenous traditions and heritage alive.”
The free event, from 12 to 4pm at the CIRI Building, will also feature raffled door prizes and will be livestreamed over Facebook at www.facebook.com/events/808704001306061/. The writer’s panel will be from 2-3pm. Participating authors include: Velma Wallis, Lily Tuzroyluke (“Sivulliq: Ancestor”), Willie Hensley (“Fifty Miles from Tomorrow”), Katherine Gottlieb, Carlton Smith, Ethan Atwater, Barbara Atwater, Bev Sims, Yaari Walker, Phyllis Adams, Maria Williams and Tiny Devlin (represented by Jack and Jackie Devlin). Guests are welcome to bring books for signed autographs.
Alaska Native Book Fair April 19, 2024 12 – 4pm — Free Admission CIRI Building: 725 E. Fireweed Lane, First Floor, Anchorage, AK
Sponsored by: Alaska Center for the Book; Alaska Native Media Group; Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Alaska Pacific University; Atwood Foundation; ASD Indigenous Education; Best Beginnings; CIRI; Talking Circle Media; UAA Native Student Services.
Update: The Alaska Native Book Fair was held on April 19 with the following authors who joined us.
Velma Wallis: Three Old Women; Raising Ourselves
Katherine Gottlieb: His Hands Upon Me: The True Story of an Alaska Native and Her Fight to End Abuse
Tiny Devlin, represented by Jack and Jackie Devlin: Tiny’s Stories: An Athabascan Family on the Yukon River
Barbara and Ethan Atwater, children’s books: Walter’s Story How the Owl Got its Crooked Beak
Bev Sims; older audience, Our Forefathers of Southwest Alaska
Yaari Walker
Phyllis Adams, children’s books The Gingerbread Moose,Alaska Boots for Chelsea
Willie Hensley, high school age, Fifty Miles from Tomorrow
Several non-profit and educational organizations are holding an Alaska Native Book Fair Sept. 13, 2019 to promote reading, writing, and knowledge of Alaska Native cultures. We’ll have author and poet readings at noon and 4 p.m. Participants can visit with published Alaska Native authors and illustrators and buy autographed books. Young ones can draw and write their own books. The event is free and open to the public. Please feel free to share information (PDF file) about the event.
Date: Sept. 13, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Location: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Administration Building Atrium, 4000 Ambassador Drive (near Elmore and Tudor in Anchorage, AK).
To get a taste of the 2018 Alaska Native Book Fair, watch for a video of panel discussions on 360 North on your local public television station.
Alaska Native Book Fair sponsors include the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Alaska Pacific University, Atwood Foundation, Best Beginnings, and the Alaska Native Media Group, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created in 2015.
The Alaska Native Media Group’s mission is to:
Encourage and promote Alaska Natives in all fields of media and journalism
Strive for fair, accurate and relevant representation in reports on rural and urban Alaska Natives
Promote public understanding of Arctic issues and the history, culture and issues of Alaska Native peoples
Connect Alaska Natives who work in media and journalism by sharing ideas and concerns
Engage all people interested in our endeavors.
For more information, please call (907) 258-4686, or email jmestus50@gmail.com. Thank you.
Several non-profit and educational organizations are holding an Alaska Native Book Fair Sept. 13, 2019 to promote reading, writing, and knowledge of Alaska Native cultures. We’ll have author and poet readings at noon and 4 p.m. Participants can visit with published Alaska Native authors and illustrators and buy autographed books. Young ones can draw and write their own books. The event is free and open to the public. Please feel free to share information (