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A blog by Bill Hess

Running Dog Publications

P.O. Box 872383 Wasilla, Alaska 99687

 

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Wasilla

Wasilla is the place where I have lived for the past 29 years - sort of. The house in which my wife and I raised our family sits here, but I have made my rather odd career as a different sort of photojournalist by continually wandering off to other places to photograph people and gather information, which I have then put together in various publications that have served the Alaska Native Eskimo, Indian and Aleut communities.

Although I did not have a great of free time to devote to this rather strange community, named after a Tanaina Athabascan Indian chief who knew Wasilla in the way that I so impossibly long to, I have still documented it regularly over the past quarter-century plus. In the early days, my Wasilla photographs focused mostly upon my children and the events they participated in - baseball, football, figure skating, hockey, frog catching, fire cracker detonation, Fourth of July parade - that sort of thing. 

In 2002, I purchased my first digital camera and then, whenever I was home, I began to photograph Wasilla upon a daily basis, but not in a conventional way. These were grab shots - whatever caught my eye as I took my many long walks or drove through the town, shooting through the car window at people and scenes that appeared and disappeared before I could even focus and compose in the traditional photographic way.

Thus, the Wasilla portion of this blog will be devoted both to the images that I take as I wander about and those that I have taken in the past. Despite the odd, random, nature of the images, I believe they communicate something powerful about this town that I have never seen expressed anywhere else. 

Wasilla is a sprawling community that has been slapped down hodge-podge upon what was so recently wilderness of the most exquisite beauty. In its design, it is deliberately anti-zoned, anti-planned. In the building of Wasilla, the desire to make a buck has trumped aesthetics and all other considerations. This town, built in the midst of exquisite beauty, has largely become an unsightly, unattractive, mess of urban sprawl. Largely because of this, it often seems to me that Wasilla is a community with no sense of community, a town devoid of town soul.

Yet - Wasilla is my home and if I am lucky it will be until I grow old and die. Despite its horrific failings, it is still made of the stuff of any small city: people; moms and dads, grammas and grampas, teens, children, churches, bars, professionals, laborers, soldiers, missionaries, artists, athletes, geniuses, do-gooders, hoodlums, the wealthy, the homeless, the rational and logical, the slightly insane and the wholly insane - and, yes, as is now obvious to the whole world, politicians, too.

So perhaps, if one were to search hard enough, it might just be possible to find a sense of community here, and a town soul. So, using my skills as a photojournalist and a writer, I hope to do just that. If this place has a sense of community, I will find it. If there is a town soul to Wasilla, I will document it. I won't compete with the newspapers. Hell no! But as time and income allow, it will be fun to wander into the places where the folks described above gather, and then put what I find on this blog.

 

by 300...

Anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Wasilla. This encompasses perhaps the most wild, dramatic, gorgeous, beautiful section of land and sea to be found in any comparable space anywhere on Earth. I can never explore it all, but I will do the best that I can, and will here share what I find and experience with you.  

and then some...

Anywhere else in the world that I happen to get to, such as Point Lay, Alaska; Missoula, Montana; Serenki, Chukotka, Russia; or Bangalore, India. Perhaps even Lagos, Nigeria. I have both a desire and scheme to get me there. It is a long shot. We shall see if I succeed.

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Wednesday
Apr212010

In need of a break, I turn to Tequilla

DateWednesday, April 21, 2010 at 3:50PM

I don't care how much someone loves doing something, every now and then he must take a short break. 

So, right now, I am going to take a short break from this blog. Not a complete break, for I will post these two pictures of Tequilla, who came running and barking at me as I walked. 

Again, she wanted me to think she was mean and tough, instead of sweet and nice. Again, I was not fooled.

Tequilla!

I will be back tomorrow to catch up a bit - more or less back on schedule. I will address the suggestion that a number of you have made to me regarding a donation button, and some of my thoughts as to how I might fund this blog. As absurd as it may sound, I want to make this blog into a real, genuine, online publication that pays for itself and gives me a foundation from which to pursue my work.

I must do it.


 

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment9 Comments |
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Reader Comments (9)

Ooh. Tequilla has puppies?

April 21, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterdebby

We've got your back Bill!!

Again, that was the most excellent post on the Wasilla Tea Party. Kudos to you.

April 21, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMichelle

I like this post. And I like Tequilla.

April 21, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterdaisydem

Please make sure you do put that button there. I hope you and your lovely family are safe and well. I have been concerned for you.

Thank you for your photo essays and words of sanity. Your wisdom and your respect for everything and everyone around you is appreciated by so many of us, so please come back again soon.

April 21, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterTildama

Wife and I will be cruising through Wasilla the 2nd week of August. We'll wave as we go by. May have to check out your regular diner. Onward to Talkeetna and a peek to see if Denali's making an appearance. Couldn't see it from Trapper Creek last year. Gave up, turned south to Homer.

Please do put up a PayPal donation button. We'll certainly make a contribution to keep your blog alive. Best wishes!

April 22, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterAlbert Lewis

Hi Bill,
Yes, you must do it. You are a professional Photojournalist and should be paid for the excellent work you produce. Count our household IN to support your web publication. We want you to succeed and will be more than happy to pay for your outstanding Photo-journalistic talents. I DO NOT CONSIDER IT A DONATION, but rather paying for the daily read Mike and I greatly enjoy. I am willing to do so because it is my choice to buy something that I feel is worthwhile. And your work is worth it!! You enrich our lives with your words and photos. The Internet has brought about a lot of changes, now you can be a front-runner in this new era.
Instead of offering your services in print, it will be on-line. Great News!! (It is not absurd.)

BTW---Supporting YOU is like supporting NPR...and ALL THINGS CONSIDERED I think it is a good idea. ****Pay Pal button*****

April 22, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterFunny Face

"As absurd as it may sound, I want to make this blog into a real, genuine, online publication that pays for itself and gives me a foundation from which to pursue my work."

Your desire to make your blog an online publication that pays for itself IS NOT ABSURD. You are a very talented professional and with the right to extract an income from your talents. I hope you will find a way.

Mike

April 22, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMike

Why does that poor dog have a piece of string tied to her tail? I hope it isn't what I think it is.

April 26, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterParker

oh please forgive me, that's a piece of stick - I went back for a closer look - so sorry!

April 26, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterParker

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