Dawnell Smith

I’m a mother, writer, and doer of chores.

I have suffered repeated bouts of wanderlust since my 19th birthday. My oldest child inherited the condition. I ended up in Alaska in 1988 after a long trip Down Under, a detour to Europe, and a pit stop in California where I grew up. There, I worked for a small newspaper and saw an ad about jobs in “majestic Alaska.” I have lived here ever since.

When possible, I make poems, essays, stories and art. I’ve paid the bills as a brewer, journalist, events coordinator, and communications go-to, with stints in the gig economy.

For me the The Writer’s Block is about sharing the wisdom of the ages and the flavors of the world. It’s about diving into the fantastic and digging into the marrow. It’s about heading into the unknown, feeling uncomfortable, and meeting people you feel you’ve known your whole life.

I guess you might say it’s where wanderlust finds its home.