Don Rearden

College of Preparator & Developmental Studies

Assistant Professor

 afdjr@uaa.alaska.edu

Don Rearden grew up on the tundra of Southwestern Alaska. His experiences with the Yup'ik culture shaped both his writing and to a larger extent his worldview. While he is a produced screenwriter and published poet, his heart often draws his writing back to characters and stories that originate on the tundra. In his fiction he hopes to shed light on the struggles of everyday life in rural Alaska, a place outsiders often view as a mystical and mysterious land.

The Raven's Gift, 2010

John Morgan and his wife can barely contain their excitement upon arriving as new teachers in a Yupik Inuit village on the windswept Alaskan tundra. Lured north in search of adventure, the idealistic couple hope to immerse themselves in the ancient Arctic culture. Their move proves disastrous when a deadly epidemic strikes and the isolated community descends into total chaos. When outside help fails to arrive, John's only hope lies in escaping the snowcovered tundra and the hunger of the other survivors.