It won the Chinook Literary Prize and a publishing deal with Sasquatch Books. Lord came to Alaska in 1973 and first made her mark as a writer of short fiction. The Truth Is Not Good Enough Lord began writing fiction because she felt she lacked the authority to write nonfiction, she said. The truth is good enough up here. That's what we tell ourselves,'' said Nick Jans, who made his mark as an emerging nonfiction writer with his 1993 and 1996 essay collections, Last Light Breaking and A Place Beyond.
Long fiction requires a real focus and dedication.
Outside urban Alaska, everything pulls you away from writing, from artistic pursuits in general. Proof of the lean toward nonfiction can be found in a recently modified Alaska State Council on the Arts program. We wanted to bring attention to the wealth we have in terms of literary artists,'' said associate director Shannon Planchon. Among Nelson's powerful and major works of nonfiction are Make Prayers to the Raven , The Island Within , and Hunters of the Northern Forest . In two years, the next State Writer will be a poet.