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John McKay, our beloved Forum facilitator (and a poet in his own right), had the idea of celebrating Poetry Month by having members of the fellowship read inspiring poetry selections, rather than inviting a handful of poets to present their own work.

John's outreach included the following phrase - "This is the first time we have tried an entirely 'democratic' poetry Forum, rather than lining up all participants in advance," and it worked out well.

You can read more about Poetry Month here -

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/1783559/the-poetry-foundation-marks-national-poetry-month-with-free-programs-new-video-series-and-special-offers

and here -

https://poets.org/national-poetry-month-turns-30-join-celebration-april

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Sandy Harper, with her late husband, actor and director Jerry Harper, co-founded Cyranos in 1987. Five years later, they launched Cyranos Off Center Playhouse as the home of Eccentric Theatre Company, which later became Cyranos Theatre Company. Sandy is now Cyranos producing artistic director emerita, and the legacy and impact of the Harper's efforts to create an artistic community are captured in her newly published memoir, The Little Theatre That Could and Did. Sandy has served as president of the Anchorage Cultural Council, and on the boards of the Last Frontier Theatre Conference (now the Valdez Theatre Conference), the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, the Rasmuson Foundation, and the Anchorage Downtown Association. Among the numerous honors she has received are an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Contribution to Literacy Award, recognitions by the Soroptimist Society for advancing women in the arts and as a YWCA Notable Woman of the Year, the Lorene Harrison Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into both the Athena Society and the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. For more information, visit sandyharperauthor.com.

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Pamela Miller founded Alaska Community Action on Toxics in 1997 and serves as its Executive Director. Pam works passionately for environmental and reproductive justice, health, and human rights, with more than 35 years of research, education, and advocacy experience. She was elected in 2016 as Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a network of more than 600 environmental health and justice organizations working in 124 countries. Among her honors are the Meritorious Service Award from UAA, the Alaska Conservation Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Olaus Murie Award in recognition of her “long-term outstanding professional contributions to the conservation movement in Alaska.” She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wittenberg University and a master’s degree in environmental science from Miami University. Pamela came to Alaska in 1989 following the Exxon Valdez oil spill to serve as a research biologist for Greenpeace. Prior to coming to Alaska, she was director of a marine science education center in Puget Sound, served as Washington’s Ocean Issues Technical Coordinator, and received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Washington State.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zwjyl4p7rju49bn85eym5/PresentationForAUUF20260412.pdf?rlkey=0699op1ocaupe3ip747486klp&dl=0

Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) - https://www.akaction.org

ACAT Legislative Priorities February 2026 - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nx7rohbdf6rjyb9ntuxa1/ACAT_Legislative_Priorities_2026_Revised_2-26-26.pdf?rlkey=t5x3v05wkbtbd9o614x2j6bmd&dl=0

What you can do to reduce plastics - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x8a2qh94hbawniobmx9na/What-_you_can_do_to-reduce_plastics.pdf?rlkey=cse7hf1ewcssrh75g2xarkkxz&dl=0

IPEN - FOR A TOXICS-FREE FUTURE - https://ipen.org/