Writing in the Wrangells

A Multi-genre writing Workshop in Mccarthy, alaska

august 29, 30, 31 2026

Treat yourself to an immersive three-day workshop focused on multi-genre writing in the awe-inspiring landscape of McCarthy, Alaska. Together, we’ll deepen our writing practices by exploring how creative storytelling helps us understand, connect with, and situate ourselves within changing climates and places. Through prompts and readings within the dynamic McCarthy-Kennicott landscape, instructor Nancy Lord will guide us to better observe and communicate climate change and other natural phenomena. Joined by friends and fellow authors, Jeremy Pataky, Michelle Latvala, and Tom Kizzia, we’ll reflect on and share how our human lives and stories intertwine with natural history and ongoing environmental changes. 

Whether you’re a local, a returning visitor, or arriving in McCarthy—or Alaska—for the first time, you’ll be welcomed into a space where creative diversity is valued and encouraged. This workshop is open to all levels of experience, and is for anyone who wants to strengthen their writing practice, engage closely with place, and draw inspiration from a powerful and changing environment. Wrangell Mountains Center has a rich history of hosting writing programs and creating space for artistic exploration and inquiry. Just minutes from the terminus of the Kennicott Glacier, this is a landscape where change can be clearly observed, offering rich ground for reflection and inspiration. Over three days, we'll range both indoors and out, with time to read, observe, think, write, discover, and share.

Please reach out to audrey@wrangells.org with any questions.

MEET The writers

Nancy Lord

Nancy Lord, a former Alaska State Writer Laureate (2008-2010), is the author of three short story collections, five books of literary nonfiction including Beluga Days: Tracking a White Whale’s Truths and Early Warming: Crisis and Response in the Climate-changed North, and the novel pH.  She also edited the anthologies Made of Salmon and the new Alaska Literary Field Guide. Let Them Tell You: New and Selected Short Stories will be out in July. Her degrees are a B.A. in liberal arts and an M.F.A. in fiction writing. Her work, which focuses mainly on environmental and marine issues, has appeared widely in journals and anthologies and has been honored with fellowships and awards. She taught in the University of Alaska system for many years and currently teaches science writing for Johns Hopkins University. As a literary citizen, she reviews Alaska-related books for the Anchorage Daily News, serves as an advisor to the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference and Storyknife Writers Retreat, and frequently adjudicates writing contests. She lives in Homer, Alaska and enjoys hiking, bird and wildlife watching, kayaking, and beachcombing.

Tom Kizzia

Tom Kizzia is the author of two non-fiction books set in the landscapes of McCarthy: “Pilgrim’s Wilderness” (2013) and “Cold Mountain Path” (2021). “Pilgrim’s Wilderness” was an Amazon top-ten book of the year and chosen by the New York Times as the best true crime book set in Alaska. He is also the author of the Native village travel narrative “The Wake of the Unseen Object” (1991, 2020). He has written for The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, and the Anchorage Daily News, where he was a longtime reporter. He was named Historian of the Year by the Alaska Historical Society in 2022. A graduate of Hampshire College, he received an Artist Fellowship from the Rasmuson Foundation, an arts and culture grant from the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism, and a Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University. Although his last name rhymes with “pariah,” in 2024 he received a career citation from the Alaska State Legislature recognizing his “contributions to Alaskan literature.” Tom has a cabin in the McCarthy area and is a year-round resident of Homer.

Michelle Latvala

Michelle Latvala put down roots in McCarthy in 2003, though her Finnish ancestors shared the same circumpolar boreal forest in their genes for centuries. She is the author of Between Latitudes (Green Writers Press, 2025), a book of poems which integrates climate, ancestry, nature, and mindfulness and was recently announced as a 2026 finalist for the First Horizon Book Award for debut authors. Michelle serves as Faculty for poet David Whyte's Institute for Conversational Leadership, previously led Spirit Rock Meditation Center as Executive Director, and worked extensively as an outdoor educator and international travel guide. In recent years, Michelle founded Insight Outside, a series of remote programs that combine meditation, writing, and wilderness, as well as completed a Nature Dharma training program centered around expanding Buddhist teachings in nature. Michelle migrates between responsibilities in northern California and eastern Alaska with her beloved Pete and their four-leggeds. If she was a tree, she'd be a northern spruce.

Jeremy Pataky

Jeremy Pataky is a poet, writer, and publisher. The author of Overwinter (University of Alaska Press), his poetry and essays have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, like the recent Alaska Literary Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry and each trilogy volume of the water-based poetry books edited by Yvonne Blomer, including Sublime: Poems for Vanishing Ice (Caitlin Press). Jeremy earned an MFA at University of Montana and has done artist residencies through Playa, Anchorage Museum, and Yukon Arts Centre. After a decade of directing the Wrangell Mountains Center and then 49 Writers (a literary nonprofit in the 49th state), he transitioned into consulting and publishing. He co-publishes the magazine Edible Alaska, publishes the Kennecott-McCarthy Visitors Guide, and is the founding publisher of Porphyry Press, the most remote book publishing company in North America. He lives off-grid in the boreal forest near McCarthy, Alaska, at the center of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.


Workshop participants will:

  • Develop tools for writing about nature and climate change across genres.

  • Engage with the natural and human history of the McCarthy–Kennicott landscape through observation, reading, and conversation with locals.

  • Participate and engage in guided prompts, readings, and field-based writing experiences that connect observation, place, and narrative.

  • Have opportunities for 1-on-1 feedback and conversations with Nancy Lord, Tom Kizzia, Michelle Latvala, and Jeremy Pataky.

  • Enjoy time both indoors and out, exploring the area and gathering for meals and conversation at Wrangell Mountains Center.

  • Have the opportunity to work on new writing or ongoing projects.

  • Share work from the weekend in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment at a closing gathering, open to the community.


Register

Cost: $600.

Discounts available for McCarthy locals. Contact audrey@wrangells.org.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants.

All meals included in cost, provided by Wrangell Mountains Center.

Accommodations not included.

Cancellations/Refunds: Registrants may cancel for a full refund up to 90 days prior to the date of the workshop; Up to 60 days prior to workshop a 50% refund will be issued; No refund will be issued within 60 days of the workshop.

Sign Up Here


Additional Details

  • Three hearty, primarily vegetarian meals, will be provided each day and shared communally. Hot water will be available for coffee and tea. Every effort will be made to accommodate dietary needs and restrictions with advance notice.

  • Depending on weather, there will be a mix of indoor and outdoor time, as well as walking and writing time. On each day, depending on weather and group, we may walk between 1 and 4 miles over uneven terrain around McCarthy (trails, rocks, etc). We are committed to making this program as accessible as possible for people of all ages and mobility levels, and may be able to arrange alternative transportation with advance notice.

  • The workshop will begin each morning at 9:00 a.m. with breakfast, followed by morning and afternoon sessions. There will be a lunch break around noon, and the formal program will conclude with dinner at approximately 6:00 p.m.

    • In the evenings, optional activities will be available, including independent writing time, collaborative sessions with instructors and participants, and a community event/showcase on Monday evening.

  • Stay tuned for more details coming soon, including daily schedules.

  • Overnight accommodations are not included. We recommend participants arrive by Friday evening at the latest and depart Tuesday morning at the earliest in order to fully immerse themselves in the weekend workshop.

  • Finding accommodations in the McCarthy area:

What To Bring / Frequently Asked Questions:

o   Warm layers, sunglasses and rain gear to be outside in changeable weather all day (in the case of extreme weather, we will base indoors). August can be rainy, and we’ll aim to spend some time outside even if the weather isn’t perfect.

o   Comfortable boots to be moving around on foot all day (generally level or gently rolling terrain, with many areas of uneven footing, within a reasonable radius of McCarthy)

o   Drinking water and snacks

o   Writing notebook/pen/pencil

o   Cash/money — there is one ATM in town but it is prone to crashing, so best to bring some spending money. There is a general store in town for snacks and other fun food purchases, as well as restaurants and a saloon.

o   Backpack for hands-free walking

o   Optional sitting pad or lightweight portable chair if you prefer something to perching directly on the rocks/stumps

o   Optional hiking/trekking poles

Photos by Nathaniel Wilder.

Support our Work