Estimated to be 27 years old (think: 115 human years) some wondered whether Otis would return from hibernation, or if perhaps he walked into the long deep dream.

He arrived at Brooks River yesterday. 1/ I watched him walk steadily into the jacuzzi, a whirlpool area next to the falls. I saw him have a complex hello with 747, the biggest bear in the park, who let him pass by in peace.

I wrote a lot of tiny essays for #fatbearweek but the one most special for me was about 435 Holly and 503. I am tender to their story, which is about loss and grief and adoption and motherhood.

Ty for letting me tell it here in its own thread: Not only is 435 Holly one of the oldest bears at Katmai and a former Fat Bear Champion (2019), she is one of the most prolific and experienced mothers at Brooks River. She has given birth to five litters now, and seven bears call her Mom.

I was not at #ASTROWORLDFest, but I can't escape it.

a thread
(cw: death) Astroworld, to recap, was Travis Scott's sold out two-day music festival in Houston, now in its third iteration. On Friday night, 50k ppl came to his headline performance. Crowd surges created a mass casualty event; 8 people died and hundreds were injured.

#akleg

Best part of my day was when I was in prison. I've been co-teaching poetry every other week with my friend Erika, (side note, it's through a program called Infinite Writers, originated/organized by University of Alaska faculty).

1/ We warmed up our bodies and our voices and Erika led us in a cool lesson brainstorming metaphors for emotions together. Our discussion was clever and nasty and joyful and sharp. In our laughter, there were no guards.

2/