I grew up in Juneau, Alaska, and after some years of exploration "Outside" (which is how we referred to everything not in Alaska), including time at Antioch College, classes and work at San Diego State, classes at Mesa and City colleges in San Diego, working in various places, living a season on Crete, I settled back home in Juneau. My husband, artist and illustrator Jim Fowler (jimfowler.us) and I raised our two daughters here. One lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter and the other in Juneau with her son and daughter. My grandmother ran a remarkable bookshop in Juneau for many years and my parents and grandparents pretty much raised me on books, music, and exploring outside. Juneau was a lot smaller when I was young than it is now, but it's still a good place despite its growing pains as good people differ in their visions of community. Alaska and family inform much of my work, but only my most recent books feature Alaska. "Arctic Aesop's Fables: Twelve Retold Tales" and "Who Lives Near A Glacier?" Alaska Animals in the Wild" both from imprints of Sasquatch Books (PRH) and "Circle of Thanks" published by Scholastic. Jim has illustrated eight of my books. Marisabina Russo illustrated my first, "When Summer Ends" (Greenwillow) and "Peter Catalanotto illustrated "Circle of Thanks" (Scholastic).