Alaska State Writer Laureate Vera Starbard uplifts Alaska Native voices and believes everyone has a story to share
Juneau Afternoon’s Rainy Day Conversations features Alaska State Writer Laureate and three-time Emmy-nominated writer Vera Starbard. Starbard will serve through 2026 and replaces outgoing State Writer Laureate Heather Lende.
Starbard, who is Lingít and Dena’ina, was born in Craig and lived throughout Alaska before settling into her “forever” home on Douglas Island in Juneau with her husband, Joe.
Starbard taught herself to read at age four and knew she wanted to be a writer by kindergarten. In high school, she began reading “how-to” business books. Right out of high school, she started working in journalism as an editor and found work in public relations. She was the editor of First Alaskans magazine. She was working on a novel but wanted to improve her dialogue skills, so she participated in a playwrighting workshop. That work led to her play “Our Voices Will Be Heard” and changed the course of her career. Now a full-time screenwriter, Starbard has worked on “Molly of Denali” and “Alaska Daily” and has many projects in various stages of development.
Host Bostin Christopher talks with Starbard about her plans and ideas for her time as Alaska State Writer Laureate. She speaks about her desire to uplift Alaska Native storytelling and believes everyone has a story to share. She credits her family as her biggest inspiration and most incredible supporter of her work. She also discusses getting those first jobs, the state of native representation in film and television, and teases a novel in the works.
You can find and follow Vera Starbard online via Facebook or at her website: http://www.verastarbard.com.
Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.
RAINY DAY OVERFLOW
Occasionally, the broadcast lacks enough time to include the full conversation. Below are a few bonus questions with Vera Starbard covering decolonization, the state of native storytelling in books vs films, her thoughts on AI, and her advice for those beginning a writing career.
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Juneau Afternoon is a production of the KTOO Arts and Culture Team.
Bostin Christopher produced today’s show with help from Erin Tripp.