Animals and men

Ann LaRee Johnson
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:46:31 PDT

"Animals and Men is a collection of personal essays that all find their beginning in this place and time--Interior Alaska between 2007 and 2010. As suggested by the title, many of them reflect on thoughts inspired by the writer's encounters with animals and men during her time living in Alaska. The title of the final essay, Dispelling Illusions, could also be applied to the piece as a whole. A few of the essays attempt to use personal experience to speak to the reader as writer. They hope to discuss some of the questions that arise in writing creative nonfiction. Are there ways a nonfiction writer should or shouldn't go about finding inspiration? How much of a narrator, and their secrets, need to be included in a piece to make it successful? And finally, isn't setting these rules only asking for them to be broken? Ultimately, the essays reflect on the fact that Fairbanks years are like dog years. Living in such a harsh climate we are forced to reevaluate our beliefs and mature in a more real way than we might otherwise"--Leaf iii