Sandy Kleven's guest appearances

Sandy Kleven

Alaska Authors and Themes

Guest Authors

John Muir

Tom Clancy

Keenan Powell

John Haines

Kwame Dawes

Eva Baker

John Morgan

Donna Freedman

Theodore Roethke

Brooke Gladstone

Chris Floyd

David Vann

Lee Goodman

David Brown

Leland Jones

OwlTail

Sandy Kleven is an extraordinary woman whose open and honest nature has enhanced the life of Alaskans everywhere.  Editor of Cirque, a Literary Journal,  she is also author of the short film "To the Moon," an homage to poet Theodore Roethke and  poetry collections Defiance Street and Holy Land. Her writings have been published in Alaska Quarterly Review, Oklahoma Review, F Magazine, Stoneboat and in the anthology, Cold Flashes (U of AK Press)Raised in Seattle, Washington, Sandy Kleven spent much of the last 33 years working in Alaska’s village communities.  Her early writing focused on the prevention of child sexual abuse throughout Alaska and led to her two children’s books The Right Touch and Talk about Touch."The way to approach such a talk without sounding arrogant is to speak of struggles and failures as well as the long, slow breakthroughs to some kind of success.  And you can also talk about your companions; the ones who made a difference"Sandy Kleven works as a clinical social worker.  In 2011, she earned an MFA in Creative Writing from UAA.  In 2015, she was inducted to the Northshore School District Wall of Honor for her contributions to the community and the world.

Sandy Kleven is an extraordinary woman whose open and honest nature has enhanced the life of Alaskans everywhere. Editor of Cirque, a Literary Journal, she is also author of the short film "To the Moon," an homage to poet Theodore Roethke and poetry collections Defiance Street and Holy Land. Her writings have been published in Alaska Quarterly Review, Oklahoma Review, F Magazine, Stoneboat and in the anthology, Cold Flashes (U of AK Press) Raised in Seattle, Washington, Sandy Kleven spent much of the last 33 years working in Alaska’s village communities. Her early writing focused on the prevention of child sexual abuse throughout Alaska and led to her two children’s books The Right Touch and Talk about Touch. "The way to approach such a talk without sounding arrogant is to speak of struggles and failures as well as the long, slow breakthroughs to some kind of success. And you can also talk about your companions; the ones who made a difference" Sandy Kleven works as a clinical social worker. In 2011, she earned an MFA in Creative Writing from UAA. In 2015, she was inducted to the Northshore School District Wall of Honor for her contributions to the community and the world.

The Defiant Voice of Sandy Kleven:  Poet, Writer, Editor, and Filmmaker

Poet and editor, Sandy Kleven, discusses why this mega-writing conference is important, how Alaska writers can engage with AWP in the future, and shares stories about meeting of Theodore Roethke's students, some who inspired her play "I Teach out of Love", at AWP.  Sandy Kleven is editor of Cirque, a Literary Journal and author of Defiance Street, Poems and other Writing.

Among 10,000:  The  AWP Conference and  Literary Alaska  with Sandy Kleven

This intimate critique of Roethke's influence on American literature includes readings written by his former students, including poets Richard Hugo, David Wagoner, James Wright, Jack Gilbert and Carolyn Kizer, plus a segment from the play "First Class" by David Wagoner focusing on Roethke the teacher. Sandy Kleven, who wrote the script, is an alumna of UAA's M.F.A. program, the editor of the literary journal Cirque, author of "Holy Land", the book children's book "The Right Touch" and a collection of poems called "Defiance Street".

This intimate critique of Roethke's influence on American literature includes readings written by his former students, including poets Richard Hugo, David Wagoner, James Wright, Jack Gilbert and Carolyn Kizer, plus a segment from the play "First Class" by David Wagoner focusing on Roethke the teacher. Sandy Kleven, who wrote the script, is an alumna of UAA's M.F.A. program, the editor of the literary journal Cirque, author of "Holy Land", the book children's book "The Right Touch" and a collection of poems called "Defiance Street".

"I Teach Out of Love"  and the life of Theodore Roethke by Sandy Kleven