From the mountains and waterways of the Southeast Panhandle to the flat tundra of western Alaska, from cities and villages, from established writers and new voices, comes a rich collection of personal stories -- both whimsical and contemplative -- in which the writers open their hearts and homes to reveal the Alaska that few tourists ever see.

The topics are as diverse as Alaska -- growing up near a glacier . learning to love a free-spirited absentee father . the Hutlaanee Code of the Koyukon Indians . anger over proposals to move the state capital . how painful it is to leave . an escape aboard the state ferries . "herding" tourists . and "muscle memories" from the Chilkoot Trail.