Water Mask (Alaska Literary)

Water Mask is an adventurous memoir from Monica Devine, an itinerant therapist who travels to villages throughout Alaska and builds a life in this vast, captivating landscape. She traverses mountains, navigates sea ice with whalers, and whirls two thousand feet above tundra with a rookie bush pilot; she negotiates the death of her father, and the near-loss of her family's cabin on the Copper River. Her journey is exhilarating--but not without reminders of the folly of romanticizing a northern landscape that both rejects and beguiles. Reflections on family, place, and culture are woven into a seductive tapestry of a life well-lived and well-loved. Monica Devine is an author and artist living in Eagle River, Alaska. Among her works are five children's books, including Iditarod: The Greatest Win Ever and Kayak Girl, the latter from the University of Alaska Press. This book is one of the few books on this popular art form. It is a visual adventure through gorgeous paintings and color photographs; a vibrant depiction of life at sea in southeast Alaska--as well as a celebration of the importance of marine life for the indigenous communities in the area. Julia Tinker is an artist who works with mixed media, combining the traditional Japanese art form of gyotaku, with watercolor to create unique paintings of fish and crustaceans from Southeast Alaska.