Carol Murkowski Sturgulewski is a third-generation Alaskan born in Sitka, who has lived in nine towns across the state from the Interior to the Aleutian Islands. Raised in a family of readers, she spent much of her childhood with her nose in a book, aided by the many Alaska titles collected by her grandparents. Her love of regional literature, history, culture, and botany was a great help when she began her career in journalism in Fairbanks in 1977. She spent nearly 25 years as a writer and editor for Alaska’s three largest newspapers and several smaller papers, from the Anchorage Times to the Dutch Harbor Fisherman. She received journalism awards on the state and regional level, specializing in feature writing and education issues. When her three sons were born, Carol switched to freelance work for publications ranging from Alaska magazine to Alaska Northwest Books, often hauling toddlers along on her assignments.
In 2001, Carol’s friendship with a master gardener in Kodiak and a dash of pure luck led her to help create the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul. She is also the author of Kodiak: Alaska’s Emerald Isle, and White House of the North: Stories from the Alaska Governor’s Mansion. Her essays have also appeared in Made of Salmon, The Last Frontier, and other collections.
Now semi-retired, she continues her volunteer work with The Grammar Police (“To correct and serve”) by editing for Alaska Quarterly Review and the Catholic Anchor. She also teaches cooking classes and writing workshops to high school students, organizes charity auctions, and continues the family tradition of accumulating books.
A committed volunteer, Carol has served on boards supporting public broadcasting, literacy, education, and the interests of children, women and elders. She is currently a board member for Alaska Center for the Book and Anchorage Friends of the Library. Carol and her husband, Roe, have a home in Anchorage and a 1940s-vintage cabin on Kachemak Bay, both filled with books.
The sponsor of the Carol Cabin is Arliss Sturgulewski.
Storyknife Writers Retreat 