A REVIEW:
‘Blackbird Flying’ Worthwhile Read
Sheila Nickerson: ‘‘Blackbird Flying: a Memoir,’’ $14.99 – Fuze Publishing.
Sheila Nickerson lived in Juneau for close to 30 years, and she was appointed poet laureate of Alaska from 1977 to 1981. Many Sitkans are familiar with her whimsical books “Feast of the Animals,” illustrated by Dale DeArmond, which is still available locally. She has also written other non-fiction works in which she blends Alaska history with elements of memoir, such as ‘‘Midnight to the North’’ (2002). This particular book does bring up southeast Alaska from time to time, but very much in passing, and sometimes in tone-deaf ways, suggesting that southeast Alaska is a mysterious land of quaint superstitions.
In ‘‘Blackbird Flying,’’ Sheila Nickerson embraces the history/memoir blend completely and improvises a series of loosely connected short chapters into a book-length reflection on her family, ghosts, her life, birds, the history of early colonies on the mid-Atlantic seaboard, her properties, and her vacations. The finished book does not tell a story per se, but it does set a mood throughout, of someone who is living in the present and continually feeling the past.
‘‘Blackbird Flying’’ is well written, in the pensive and fact-filled way that has become a trend in Thoreau-inspired nature memoir writers. However, it eventually becomes apparent that the Roanoke colony, 18th century scientific illustration, Sheila Nickerson’s family properties in New York, and “Indians” are too disparate to coalesce into a single narrative in this book. When towards the end the author attends a séance and speaks to the spirit of one of the historical characters she is investigating, I found that I had lost interest in the loose network of conjectures that had led us there.
In the end, this book is a worthwhile read if you are a personal fan of Sheila Nickerson and want to spend a few hours in the company of her thoughts. If not, perhaps scan Old Harbor Books’ Alaska section for something a little more grounded in our amazing little corner of the world.
–Paul Norwood
Kaagwaantaan Meet
Sitka Kaagwaantaan will meet 3 p.m. Dec. 1 at Blatchley Middle School in Room 114 to practice the Yeikootee Spirit Dance that will be used in the naming ceremony on Dec. 21.
Families interested in participating should call Roby Littlefield at 738-4004 or go to the meeting.
Story Time
Set at Library
The next preschool story time at Sitka Public Library will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.
‘‘Maisy Makes Gingerbread’’ by Lucy Cousins will be one of the readings. Rhymes, songs and crafts are included in the program. Everybody is welcome.
Preschool story times help to promote early literacy skills, expand children’s vocabularies and broaden and enrich their experiences, stimulating brain development.
For information, call the library at 747-4020.
‘Shakespeare’
Meetings Set
I Read Shakespeare meets 6:30-8 p.m. Mondays at the Sitka Pioneers Home Room 331, the “Puzzle Room.”
The public is invited.
Mountain Goat
Closure Listed
The Sitka District Ranger, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, is closing the Whale Bay Zone in Unit 4 to the harvest of mountain goats. The closure will be effective 11:59 p.m. today, and will remain in effect through the rest of the 2019 season which ends Dec. 31.
The remainder of Baranof Island is open to goat hunting until the season closes, unless closed by past or future special action. A map and description of the closed areas are available from the Sitka Ranger District Office and the Sitka area office of ADF&G.
Oyster-Shucking
Workshop Dec. 3
Join Beak restaurant chef/owner Renée Jakaitis Trafton for the Sitka Kitch’s ‘‘Oyster Shucking 101’’ class 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen at Sitka Lutheran Church.
Trafton will teach basic oyster shucking technique, safety precautions, accompanying sauces, and cooking with oysters. She will discuss various aspects of this tasty bivalve and then demonstrate how to safely shuck an oyster. After shucking, participants will eat some raw oysters to taste with cocktail sauce and mignonette, and then participants will learn to make Oyster Rockefeller.
The $40 class price includes an oyster knife, eight oysters, sauces, recipes, and ingredients for Oyster Rockefeller. The registration deadline is 11:30 p.m. Nov. 30. Space is limited.
Register and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal at the EventSmart page, http://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com (click on class title). For those wanting to pre-pay with cash or check, call Chandler O’Connell or Clarice Johnson at Sitka Conservation Society (747-7509) to arrange a payment.
For more information about the class, contact Jasmine Shaw at 747-9440.
Marines Give Call
For Toys for Tots
A work meeting to prepare boxes and promotional signs for the Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots campaign will be 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, at the Gil Truitt Activity Center on the Mt. Edgecumbe High School campus.
Ten more boxes larger than a standard grocery box are needed. The group will then decorate, design and distribute the boxes to local businesses and schools.
Marines and their wives and partners – and any other member of the community – are asked to help. They need not be active members of the Marine Corps League to participate.
Those with questions can call M.C.L. Commandant Sam Pointer at 907-623-7775 or Adjutant Bernie Gurule at 966-3202.
