Gaining Daylight - Life on Two Islands

For many the idea of living off the land is a romantic notion left to stories of olden days or wistful dreams at the office. But for Sara Loewen it becomes her way of life each summer as her family settles into their remote cabin on Uyak Bay for the height of salmon season. With this connection to thousands of years of fishing and gathering at its core, Gaining Daylight explores what it means to balance lives on two islands, living within both an ancient way of life and the modern world. Her personal essays integrate natural and island history with her experiences of fishing and family life, as well as the challenges of living at the northern edge of the Pacific.

Loewen's writing is richly descriptive; readers can almost feel heat from wood stoves, smell smoking salmon, and spot the ways the ocean blues change with the season. With honesty and humor, Loewen easily draws readers into her world, sharing the rewards of subsistence living and the peace brought by miles of crisp solitude.

About the author

Sara Loewen teaches writing at Kodiak College during the winter and spends the summer in Uyak Bay with her husband and two sons, where they fish commercially for salmon.

Summary

With this connection to thousands of years of fishing and gathering at its core, this title explores what it means to balance lives on two islands, living within both an ancient way of life and the modern world. It includes essays that integrate natural and island history with the author's experiences of fishing and family life.

Product details

• Authors: Sara Loewen, Deb Vanasse
• Publisher: University Of Alaska Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.02.2013
• EAN: 9781602231986
• ISBN: 978-1-60223-198-6
• No. of pages: 140
• Dimensions: 229 mm x 153 mm x 9 mm
• Weight: 256 g
• Series: Alaska Literary; Alaska Literary Series; Alaska Literary; UAP - The Alaska Literary Series; THE ALASKA LITERARY SERIES
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > History > Contemporary history (1945 to 1989); Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies