Gift Shop Artist of the Month

John Kooistra

Featured: October 2-30, 2020

Gift Shop Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-6pm

“I write to remind myself of the greater universe that does not always have me at its center blocking the view.” – John Kooistra

John Kooistra is a poet and essayist who first arrived in Alaska in 1965. After several migratory forays north, he took up full-time Alaskan residency in 1973 and has lived in Fairbanks since 1981. He has taught philosophy at the University of Alaska, Purdue University, and the College of Wooster in Ohio, fished commercially in Cook Inlet for thirty-two years, and worked as a tradesman. His poems are grounded in the world, in season and place, and go on from there to consider the timeless human nature we share. He has served as the artist-in-residence for Holland-America and Denali National Park as well as publishing poems and essays in various journals. Fifty years of traveling by thumb, car, motorcycle, and bicycle have resulted in a lot of travel and journal writing. The poem prints and cards on display at the Bear Gallery combine original poems with original photography.

---

Please note: All visitors to the gift shop and gallery are must wear a mask. Thank you for helping us keep Fairbanks safe!