Alaska State Writer Laureate Vera Starbard to release book on Nov. 3 highlighting Glacier Bay National Park and its Tlingit heritage
Emmett, a 12-year-old Tlingit boy who has never been to Alaska, is about to spend the summer in Glacier Bay National Park. It may be the homeland of his mother’s people, but Emmett isn’t sure he really belongs here amongst the bears, killer whales, and bossy cousins who talk to ravens. But when that bossy cousin gets lost in the park, can Emmett and his little pup, Sagú, use the skills he’s recently learned to find her?
Tlingit and Dena’ina writer Vera Starbard announces the publication of her debut middle-grade novel, PARK SURVIVAL: LOST IN ALASKA. Published by Scholastic, this adventure story centers around the beauty and excitement of Alaska and its wildlife, the difficulties and importance of family, and the complexities of Indigenous identity.
“I’m so excited for the world to finally meet Emmett, and discover Glacier Bay through his eyes,” said Vera. “Sít’ Eeti Geiyí – Glacier Bay – has been cared for by its Tlingit people, including my father’s T’akdeintaan clan, for millennia, and I’m so honored my first novel celebrates that history.”
PARK SURVIVAL: LOST IN ALASKA will be released on Nov. 3, and available at all major book retailers, and is available for pre-order now. The cover art for the book was created by Kelsey Mata Foote, a Tlingit illustrator, writer, and producer from Ketchikan, Alaska.
Starbard is the current Alaska State Writer Laureate and has been nominated for her work on the PBS KIDS show “Molly of Denali” four times. She was a staff writer on the ABC show “Alaska Daily,” penning its series finale, and has written for series on Netflix and Disney, Jr. She was the Playwright in Residence at Perseverance Theatre through the Andrew W. Mellon National Playwright Residency Program for six years, and Editor-in-Chief of First Alaskans Magazine for over a decade. Vera is a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Arts and Humanities, the Alaska Literary Award, and a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award. Born in Craig, Alaska and raised all over the state, Vera now lives on X’áat T’áak – Douglas Island, Alaska, with her husband, Joe Bedard.
