Alaska Sisters in Crime, Inc., an organization for writers, readers, and fans of the mystery/crime fiction genre, has monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of the month. The meetings are held in the fireside area at Barnes & Noble Booksellers from 7-9 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

The Alaska Sisters in Crime Readers Group would like to start meeting again. If you're interested, please drop us an email and we'll see what we can set up.

Alaska SinC/LCC2001 Auction Dollars Fulfill Mission

As a nonprofit, Alaska Sisters in Crime has a mission statement near to the hearts of its chapter membership: education and accessibility to reading materials. Thanks to the generous auction bids during Left Coast Crime 2001, the chapter was able to put several thousand dollars in its Suzan Nightingale Literacy Fund. The fund was begun in memory of a founding member who died of cancer.

Some of the funds have sponsored "Alaska Reads", a program similar to the event "All Seattle Reads a Book". Our first statewide event featured North Star Conspiracy by Miriam Grace Monfredo, and our second year featured Young Adult author Tony Johnston. Join us as we announce and read our fourth year selection.

Last year, we decided to venture into grant-giving. A committee developed guidelines for small project requests, and sent the offer to schools and libraries throughout the state. The requests were inspiring. The four finalists were rural or "Bush" communities which have a difficult time stretching their meager budgets. Two communities are along the historic Iditarod Trail. The town of McGrath asked for a modest amount in order to add quality mysteries, written by women, to their collection. Their combination school library/community center serves 70 students and about 100 community residents. The Takotna Library will purchase audio-books, and recorders/CD players, which will be available to everyone in the community, but are especially needed for their visually impaired residents. The village of Klawock, on Prince of Wales Island, has designated May as "Mystery Book Month" and will use their funds to purchase a variety of mystery books, an Accelerated Reading Test disk, and sponsor in-school events. In addition, the books will be displayed and read during their twice-monthly Family Reading Night. The families will be encouraged to write a mystery poem, short story, or play to be presented at the next scheduled reading night. The library in the river community of Nenana will purchase a long list of books to encourage teen reading, keep the library open extended hours for one month, and present a mystery event for the participating teens to solve. They will involve the student bodies in Nenana, Healy, Cantwell, and Anderson. Each participant will receive a free book. The prize will be $100.

The Alaska Chapter is excited to share these opportunities you helped make possible. The members of the communities thank you. If your chapter has not begun a community outreach program, we encourage you to do so. Teachers and librarian, shelters, senior centers, even your neighbors can be a source of need. Sharing what you have is enough.