ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bonnie Demerjian and her husband Haig packed all their earthly belongings in an old VW bus and headed west in the early 1970’s. “Alaska or Bust” read the sign in the back window and it’s been Alaska ever since. They had contracts to teach in the Southeast Alaskan Tlingit village of Kake where they spent five years before moving to Wrangell. “It’s difficult to say when we ceased being New Yorkers and turned into Alaskans,” says Bonnie, whose metamorphosis mirrors that of many in the state.
After retiring from teaching Bonnie started writing, first for her local newspaper, the Wrangell Sentinel, where she began delving into regional history as she talked with Wrangell “pioneers”. She also has contributed to the Juneau Empire, Birders’ Digest, Alaska Business Monthly, Sea Magazine, Alaskan Southeaster and the Capital City Weekly. She is a regular contributor to the Juneau Audubon’s Society’s newsletter, the Raven.
A trip up the nearby Stikine River in 2005 fired a desire to work on a longer project and the result was her first book, . This comprehensive look at one of North America’s most pristine waterways focuses on two of the author’s interests, natural and human history. The success of this book led to a second, . Anan Creek is a unique protected salmon stream in Southeast Alaska where visitors can witness both black and brown bears as they come to feed together. Like the first book, Anan examines both humans and wildlife and how they fit into the rich, history-laden natural environment of the stream.
Bonnie is presently researching for a book on Southeast Alaska’s inscrutable petroglyphs and preparing a photographic history of Wrangell and the Stikine River.
Click to see a collection of photos of the area by Ivan Simonek.
