This year's annual Left Coast Crime writers convention drew one wandering moose and more than 100 mystery authors to Anchorage, Alaska, in the middle of February.
In an even more impressive feat, organizers also flew more than 50 attending authors into remote Alaskan "bush" communities, where they held public readings and writing workshops for thousands of residents in roadless areas throughout the state. Bestselling author Michael Connelly traveled to Seward, while others flew above the Arctic Circle and through the Inland Passage. Details of some of their adventures can be found on Left Coast Crime's Web site at lcc2001.com.
The Authors to the Bush program, like the February 15th convention, was brainchild of Alaska Sisters in Crime, an organization of women mystery writers dedicated to literacy and, it would seem, adventure.
"I grew up in an Alaskan bush community and started thinking how much it would have meant to me to meet a real living writer, and how many people live in places where that's almost impossible," Sisters in Crime founder and mystery author Dana Stabenow told PW. "It just so happens that most of my friends are mystery writers, so I started to call them up and ask them if they would be willing to go. And they were." With local grant funding from Cook Inlet Region Native Organization and the South Central Native Health Foundation, the Sisters began the year-long planning that connected authors with bookstores, schools, libraries and pilots.
While planners worried that the pipeline of writers would freeze up at the prospect of Alaska in winter, scheduling the convention to coincide with the Alaska Fur Rendezvous and the start of the Iditarod dogsled race helped raise interest. The ability of organizers of Authors to the Bush to get bestselling mystery authors like Michael Connelly, Jan Burke, J.A. Jance and Anne Perry to attend soon attracted other mystery scribes. The event brought in more than 500 fans and avid readers, with booksellers on hand with plenty of books for the event.
The convention's dealer room boasted more than a dozen local and specialty stores (and mail-order dealers), including the Rue Morgue Bookstore from Boulder, Col., and Mysteries Plus in Portland, Ore. Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore of Phoenix, Ariz., also enjoyed a weekend of Alaskan-sized sales. "We had books available for 95% of the authors who attended and easily had a $10,000 weekend," Lynn Dixon of Cook Inlet Book Company, one of Anchorage's largest independents, told PW. "We couldn't keep track of which titles sold the most as all were disappearing so fast."
Rachel Dorris of Twice Told Tales, another Anchorage independent selling new and used books, organized the booksellers and author autographings. "While sales were very good, the interest that was generated by the convention and the Authors to the Bush spilled over into the store afterward," she told PW. "We have a new display of mystery books which has been very popular, and customers are eager to talk about books and authors."
While booksellers saw profits, the convention was also able to raise more than $11,000 for the local Susan Nightingale Literacy Fund.
Organizers hope the success of the bush project will inspire others. "What really surprised me was that this had never been done before," said Stabenow. "There are regional conferences and conventions all over the country that attract a large group of authors to one place. Wouldn't it be great if these authors could branch out to schools or libraries while in the area? It is a great tool to teach literacy and, indirectly, to rally fans and readers."
