Thought & Memory

ARTIST & WRITER

Tony is an artist based in Seattle, Washington who delves into a deep and intimate relationship with the natural world. His artwork, primarily sculpture, pencil, sculpture, and lithograph, focuses on birds of prey and ravens (among other animal and bird species).

From his childhood, Tony had worked with animals including hawks and falcons that he had trained. As an adult he continues to rehabilitate wild species, particularly birds of prey and crows and ravens. This intimate contact has provided the foundation of understanding for his artwork that is realized in his drawings, paintings, stone carvings and bronze sculptures.

AUTHOR & NATURALIST

Susan is a writer and naturalist based in Bozeman, Montana who previously resided in Alaska and Kentucky. Her works focus on the natural world (particularly birds) and our place in it. Much of this includes blurring the lines between science, art, and cultural understanding. Ranging from scientific topics and collaborations to children’s books, her writings are readily available to diverse audiences of all ages.

PHOTOGRAPHER & KEEPER OF STORIES

Mark is from both white and Alutiiq heritage, moving between Cordova, Alaska to Edmonds, Washington, and back to Cordova. He grew up surrounded by his father’s art and ties to cultural and spiritual motifs, the raven being the most prominent among them. He has continued this practice through his photography, and has built up the community of Cordova, Alaska at the same time. Over the years, Mark has fostered a more intimate relationship with the raven as a spiritual and personal connection with individual birds built on respect and time.

RESEARCHER, WRITER, & RETIRED PROFESSOR

John Marzluff teaches at the University of Washington and currently researches ravens within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, focusing on ravens in Yellowstone National Park. He studies how humans affect birds through habitat fragmentation and increased urbanization, as well as the challenges of conserving birds on islands. He focuses primarily on corvids (ravens, crows, and jays) but he has also worked with falcons and hawks throughout the world. He is also interested in all the ways that birds affect people by influencing art, culture, or language. In addition to his research, he has written several popular science books about ravens, crows and other bird species.

WRITER, PROFESSOR, & POET

Don is an established writer and creative mind in Alaska with roots in Montana and living alongside indigenous tribes in SW Alaska. His work is inspired by Alaska native oral tradition and creation stories like those involving Raven, as well as other nonfiction topics and poetry.

He grew up on the tundra and rivers of southwest Alaska. In his own words, his experience and adventures in Alaska have shaped both his writing and his love and concern for humanity and our planet. Don is a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, screenwriter, novelist, and—when the mood hits, a tundra philosopher-poet.

AUTHOR, LECTURER, & POET

Boria Sax is a writer based in White Plains, New York whose work focuses on our relationship with birds and the natural world through mythology, history, and cultures across the northern hemispere. His writing focuses on human-animal relations, with a style that melds scholarship with narrative and lyricism. He views the representation of animals in human culture as a means to explore human identity, as well as an enduring source of myths and legends.

STORYTELLER, LINGUIST, & PROFESSOR OF ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES

Lance teaches at the University of Alaska SE, and has spent most of his professional and personal career revitalizing the native Tlingit language and stories. His native names are Xh’unei (Tlingit), Du Aaní Kawdinook (Tlingit), and Kh’eijáakw (Haida).

Stories, traditions, and learning are at the heart of the oral tradition, and Raven is a key player in many of the lessons and creation stories of the Tlingit and other tribes throughout coastal and interior Alaska. By implementing education, outreach, and technology, Xh’unei enhances the revival and understanding of the Tlingit language and preserves these stories for generations to come. This develops important relationships with elders and community members in SE Alaska and around the world.

ANTHROPOLOGIST & PRESIDENT, SEALASKA HERITAGE CENTER

Rosita Worl, whose Tlingit names are Yeidiklas’akw and Kaaháni, serves as the president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute. SHI’s goals are to promote and enhance the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures and cross-cultural understanding. Dr. Worl is an anthropologist and conducted research throughout Alaska and the circumpolar arctic, including many traditional stories about Raven, and taught at the University of Alaska Southeast. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University and a B.A. from Alaska Methodist University. She also holds an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage.