#4 Seth Kantner on sod igloos, slow writing, and arctic racism

Credit: Kiliii Yuyan

Seth Kantner is an Alaskan photographer, hunter, fisherman and author. He’s written two of my favorite books: Ordinary Wolves, a fictional book about a boy growing up with the ways of his indigenous neighbors; and his latest book, A Thousand Trails Home, about Alaskan caribou and our relationship with them. Topics include…

• Ken thinks that couples in arctic cabins should be highly qualified to write marriage advice books. Seth splashes cold water on that idea, saying all they’re doing is avoiding conflict.

• Knitting, the first videogame?

• The drawbacks (face-blindness) of being homeschooled in a sod igloo.

• Middle school, is there a point?

• Kim Kardashian vs Seth Kantner. In the fight for cultural dominance, sadly Kim wins.

• The merits/necessity of slow writing.

• How it’s good to have a phobia of wasting somebody’s time.

• Plus, the fascinating topic of race relations in arctic Alaska.

Seth recommends:

Ken recommends:

Music by Duncan Barrett, who you can follow and listen to, here and here.