S. M. Hulse received her MFA from the University of Oregon and was a fiction fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her stories have appeared in Willow Springs, Witness, and Salamander. A horsewoman and fiddler, she has spent time in Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.Hulse's new novel is Black River.
Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:
Lately, for no particular reason, I’ve found myself reading quite a few books about Alaska. I suppose it’s a natural outgrowth of my interests in Western literature and in exploring the ways in which people are shaped by places and vice versa. Two standout titles include Richard Leo’s memoir Edges of the Earth and Eowyn Ivey’s novel The Snow Child.Visit S. M. Hulse's website.
Edges of the Earth chronicles Leo’s move to Alaska from New York City and his first years homesteading with his family. While Iwouldn’t be temperamentally suited to living in similar circumstances, something about the idea of taking off for the wilderness undoubtedly holds a certain appeal for many of us, and I enjoyed reading about the ups and downs of Leo’s early days in rural Alaska.
The Snow Child is a reimagining of a classic Russian fairy tale in 1920’s Alaska. I appreciated the way Ivey incorporated the fantastical elements of the story with very detailed, realistic depictions of what it must have been like to attempt to forge a living in a remote part of Alaska at that time in history.
The Page 69 Test: Black River.
--Marshal Zeringue
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