Valerie is a jane of many trades. She is the best hula hooper she knows, having won every hula hoop contest she has ever entered (2!). Her current jobs are cook, maid, mommy, wife, and President of the Board to Alaska Center of the Environment (a position she feels that has taken the word “volunteer” to its deepest and darkest meaning). She loves coffee and people who love coffee. She prefers texting to other forms of communication, which she knows is very, very awful.

An avid Facebooker and TV watcher, Michelle is excited to be off her couch and on stage, after waiting for a story to tell and finally snagging one that’s only a 9 out of 10 on the embarrassment scale. Originally from Fairbanks, she’s just recently moved back to Alaska after an 8-year hiatus out of state exploring the best the Midwest has to offer. When not on her couch, she can be found somewhere on 4th Avenue or “getting better each time” skiing at Alyeska.

Nicki was raised in Idaho in a family of adrenaline junkies and outdoor enthusiasts, which probably explains why she ended up in Alaska. By day, she is a family practice physician; by night, she is an aspiring dog musher. Her husband and two kids are therefore by proxy aspiring dog mushers. Since moving to Alaska, she has lived in a tree house and in a yurt, but that’s a different story.

Peter grew up in upstate New York and moved to Alaska about a year ago. He lives in Girdwood, where he works in a ski shop, and attends Business School at UAA. However, his true passion lies in music. His band, Peanut Butter Pete and the Jellyfish, who mostly cover R.E.M.’s greatest hits, will be going on tour this spring.

Valerie is a jane of many trades. She is the best hula hooper she knows, having won every hula hoop contest she has ever entered (2!). Her current jobs are cook, maid, mommy, wife, and President of the Board to Alaska Center of the Environment (a position she feels that has taken the word “volunteer” to its deepest and darkest meaning). She loves coffee and people who love coffee. She prefers texting to other forms of communication, which she knows is very, very awful.

Cierra is a lady who loves academics beyond belief; you’d almost never know she’s dyslexic... that is, unless you’ve ever texted with her. When she is not working on her PhD in Child Psychology, she is living a life full of adventures (with a camera in hand) back-country skiing, shamelessly dancing around her living room listening to records, or playing with the love of her life “Goldie,” a 17-year-old golden retriever. She believes in whiskey, great friends, music and fresh powder. And puppies. Seriously, who does not love a puppy?

Jacob wrote his first story when he was a young boy, and has enjoyed performing and telling his stories ever since. He recently represented Alaska, with four other poets, on the international stage at the Brave New Voices poetry festival. This year, he hopes to do the same with another group of incredible poets.

Kyle is a lifelong Alaskan who enjoys being active within his community. It began early for Kyle, when he joined a volunteer civilian subsidiary of the air force, as a 12-year-old Civil Air Patrol cadet. There, he learned to perform arctic search and rescue, and advanced to a leadership position training others in color guard and honor guard, as the first sergeant for both Arcturus and Birchwood Squadrons. His community involvement has progressed to include service as the media director for the mayoral candidate Nick Moe in 2006, when Kyle was only 22, as well as involvement with his Government Hill community council and the assembly meetings on Title 21.

Cierra is a lady who loves academics beyond belief; you’d almost never know she’s dyslexic... that is, unless you’ve ever texted with her. When she is not working on her PhD in Child Psychology, she is living a life full of adventures (with a camera in hand) back-country skiing, shamelessly dancing around her living room listening to records, or playing with the love of her life “Goldie,” a 17-year-old golden retriever. She believes in whiskey, great friends, music and fresh powder. And puppies. Seriously, who does not love a puppy?

Jacob wrote his first story when he was a young boy, and has enjoyed performing and telling his stories ever since. He recently represented Alaska, with four other poets, on the international stage at the Brave New Voices poetry festival. This year, he hopes to do the same with another group of incredible poets.