Covering a Crisis: A Discussion with Alaska Public Media Reporters
Join Alaska Public Media News Director Lori Townsend, and reporters Liz Ruskin, Nat Herz, and Andrew Kitchenman, for a discussion of our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
How have we stayed on top of a quickly changing news landscape? How have we decided what to prioritize? How do we do our jobs responsibly and ethically, without adding risk to ourselves or the public?
You’ll get answers to these questions, and have a chance to ask some of your own at this virtual event held via Zoom.
Covering a Crisis: A Discussion with Alaska Public Media Reporters
Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m.
Asian Americans Virtual Screening & Panel Discussion
Alaska Public Media is proud to offer in-person media experiences to the communities we serve. Check back often to learn about upcoming events! Told through individual lives and personal histories, the PBS documentary Asian Americans explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future.
Join Alaska Public Media on OVEE, a special virtual screening platform, from your computer or mobile device for a free screening of the show. This will be followed by a community discussion moderated by Julia O’Malley with a panel of special guests.
Asian Americans Virtual Screening & Panel Discussion
Wednesday, May 13 at 6 p.m.
Iditapod LIVE at Bear Tooth Theatrepub
Season four of the hugely popular Iditapod podcast from Alaska Public Media will officially launch with a live recording onstage at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub.
Join Iditapod host Casey Grove as he interviews veteran mushers Jeff King, Matthew Failor and Jessica Klejka. Iditarod reporters Zachariah Hughes and Tegan Hanlon will also be onstage to ask questions, tell their favorite stories from the trail and find out what the audience wants to know about the Last Great Race.
This free event included showings of Alaska Public Media’s “Mushing Explained” videos and photos from the trail.
Monday, March 2
Bear Tooth Theatrepub
5:30 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.)
No Passport Required: A Food and Film Event
A celebration of “foods from home” and the launch of Season 2 of the PBS foodie show, No Passport Required, come together to embrace the rich diversity of immigrant traditions. Join this culinary experience for the eyes and belly at the Anchorage Museum with hosts and partners, Alaska Public Media (AKPM) and Anchorage Community Land Trust ACLT).
The event offers attendees the opportunity to sample and celebrate an array of food tastings prepared by entrepreneurs from ACLT’s Set Up Shop program. A new episode from No Passport Required will be shown in the Museum’s theater two times. Round out the evening by exploring the What, Why, and How We Eat exhibition.
Anticipated food samples include Oaxacan Mexican tamales, Native American Fry Bread, Burmese rice pilaf, samosas, gumbo, cobbler, and products from the Fresh International Gardens (Refugee and Immigration Services – Catholic Social Services).
Friday, January 3, 2020
Anchorage Museum in the Auditorium & Atrium
3625 C Street, Anchorage AK
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public as it occurs on First Friday at the Anchorage Museum. Tickets are not required for the screenings or food samplings.
The First Rainbow Coalition: An Independent Lens Pop-up Event
The First Rainbow Coalition
By Ray Santisteban (approximate run time 56 minutes)
In 1969, the Chicago Black Panther Party began to form a multi-ethnic coalition with the Young Lords Organization and the Young Patriots. Banding together in one of the most segregated cities in post-war America, the Rainbow Coalition changed the face of 1960s Chicago politics and created an organizing model for future activists and politicians.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
UAA Multicultural Center, Rasmuson Hall 101
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
FREE Parking in West Campus: West, North West Central and South Lots
Wild Kratts LIVE!
Help the Kratt brothers save the day with Wild Kratts Live, a theatrical stage show based on the hit animated television series Wild Kratts. Martin and Chris Kratt, zoologists by training and stars of the Emmy-nominated show, engage the audience in a classic Wild Kratts story. Presented by the Anchorage Concert Association.
Atwood Concert Hall
September 13 & 14 (multiple showings)
Presented by the Anchorage Concert Association.
>> View showtimes, tickets and more info here.
FREE screenings of Country Music!
Country Music
directed by Ken Burns
The film explores questions –– such as “What is country music?” and “Where did it come from?“–– while focusing on the biographies of the fascinating characters who created and shaped it — from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more — as well as the times in which they lived.
Anchorage Museum
Friday, September 6, 2019 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Advanced screening of Country Music and locally produced video series, Polar Playlists, with a panel discussion featuring local musicians, facilitated by Shonti Elder, host of Traveling Music and Steve Heiml, host of Truck Stop on KNBA.
Bear Tooth Theatrepub
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Advanced screening of Country Music and locally produced video series, Polar Playlists.
>> FREE ADMISSION! Tickets will be available starting Tuesday, September 3
Anchorage Public Library (Z.J. Loussac)
Thursday, September 12, 2019 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Advanced screening of Country Music and locally produced video series, Polar Playlists.
Molly of Denali Community Screening Events
Get in on the adventure early and join us at the Anchorage Museum, or one of our library partners, for FREE family-friendly screenings of this new PBS KIDS series!
Various library screenings were offered throughout the state beginning June 26.
>> View Complete List of Library Screenings That Took Place
Bring the whole family to the 2019 Reading Rendezvous at the Z.J. Loussac Public Library in Anchorage!
This free event will host loads of different booths and stations, with a great variety of games and activities, all to promote literacy and reading. Alaska Public Media’s booth will feature fun PBS Kids games and activities from shows including the new series Molly of Denali.
Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 12 p.m – 4 p.m.
Z.J. Loussac Library
3600 Denali Street
Anchorage, AK 99503
Ask a Washington D.C. Correspondent with Liz Ruskin
Alaska has just one full-time journalist reporting home from the nation’s capital:
On Wednesday, April 24th guests joined us at Tequila 61 Gastropub to hear what it’s like covering Alaska’s Washington delegation in the current political climate.
Charm City: An Independent Lens Pop-up Event
Charm City
by Marilyn Ness (approximate run time 86 minutes)
Filmed during three years of unparalleled violence in Baltimore, Charm City delivers a powerfully candid portrait of those on the front lines. With grit, fury, and compassion, a group of police, citizens, community leaders, and government officials grapple with the consequences of violence and try to reclaim their city’s future.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
UAA Multicultural Center, Rasmuson Hall 106
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
FREE Parking in West Campus: West, North West Central and South Lots
>> See the full schedule for the year as it unfolds.
FREE Virtual Professional Learning Series: Empowering Young Media Consumers & Creators
Designed by educators, this virtual professional learning series will introduce a number of teaching models and strategies to enhance your practice. Teaching digital media literacy can be daunting. In the first episode of this three-part series (designed especially for middle and high school teachers), we’ll consider how to tackle misinformation, how to analyze digital media and why it’s important for your students.
Part 1: Teaching Students to Critically Analyze Data
Thursday, February 28 at 3 p.m.
Part 2: Helping Students Create Authentic Stories
Thursday, March 7 at 3 p.m.
Part 3: Amplifying Student Voices Across the Community
Thursday, March 14 at 3 p.m.
INDIE ALASKA Screening & Fundraising Event
This fundraising and screening event took place on Thursday, March 21, 2019, at the Bear Tooth Theatre.
Words Matter: Communicating About Mental Health
Words matter when communicating about mental health and substance misuse. They can help build a supportive community, or they can make people more afraid to talk about their problems. Join us for an interactive workshop on how to effectively write and speak about mental health.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Hotel Captain Cook
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
>> Register for Workshop Here
This free workshop was part of the Alaska Public Health Association annual summit and is open to everyone, including journalists and public relations professionals. It was co-hosted by Alaska Public Media, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the Alaska Division of Public Health.
This virtual professional learning experience was designed for our Pre K-2 educators. You will gain valuable insights on how to integrate media within the classroom for your early learners. Designed by educators, this professional learning series will introduce you to a number of teaching models and strategies to help your students develop global awareness.
Part 1: Nurturing Curiosity and Critical Thinking
Tuesday, November 13 at 3 p.m.
Part 2: Developing Cultural Awareness
Tuesday, December 4 at 3 p.m.
Part 3: Demonstrating Empathy and Perseverance
Tuesday, January 8 at 3 p.m.
Victoria Season 3 Premiere Theatre Screening
It is 1848, and revolution is breaking out across Europe. In Britain, one woman stands between order and chaos: Queen Victoria. Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) stars as the young but fearless monarch in the third season of Victoria, facing a crisis that threatens to end her reign.
This FREE event took place on Monday, January 7, 2019, at the Bear Tooth Theatre.
RUMBLE: An Independent Lens Pop-up Event
RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World
by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana (approximate run time 86 minutes)
Rumble brings to light a profound and missing chapter in the history of American music: the Indigenous influence. Featuring music icons Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo, and Taboo, Rumble shows how these pioneering Native musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.
This event took place Wednesday, November 28, 2018, at the UAA Multicultural Center.
Community Screenings of the New Series Let’s Go Luna!
LET’S GO LUNA! follows the adventures of three friends – Leo, a wombat from Australia; Carmen, a butterfly from Mexico; and Andy, a frog from the U.S. – as they traverse the globe with their parents’ traveling performance troupe, “Circo Fabuloso.” At each of the Circo’s stops, Luna the Moon, voiced by Judy Greer, guides the trio as they get to know the local region and its people.
Here is a list of FREE screenings that were offered by our community!
Tuesday, November 13 from 12 – 1 p.m.
Wednesday, November 14 from 4 – 5 p.m.
Friday, November 16 from 3 – 4 p.m.
Tuesday, November 20 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Homer Public Library
Wednesday, November 21 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Scott and Wesley Gerrish (Girdwood) Library
Saturday, November 24 from 12 – 1 p.m.
PBS presents For The Love of Lit, a four part virtual professional training series designed especially for English Language Arts teachers, and was created FOR educators BY educators. With an emphasis on fun, engaging, accessible, and free tools for classrooms, this series will highlight techniques for engaging learners through essential communication skills, and present ideas for enhancing teaching practice through activities, projects, passion, and a connection to literature.
Part 1: Inspiring Young Authors
Wednesday, October 17 at 3 p.m.
>> Register Here
Part 2: Including All Readers
Thursday, October 25 at 3 p.m.
>> Register Here
Part 3:= Encouraging Bright Thinkers
Wednesday, November 7 at 3 p.m.
>> Register Here
Part 4: Cultivating Young Book Lovers
Wednesday, November 14 at 3 p.m.
>> Register Here
Adventurer Dick Griffith has probably traversed more of the planet than any human alive. At 89 years old, he wanted to celebrate nine decades of adventure with one more–a grand finale on the Grand Canyon–and filmmakers were there to capture it all.
This screening of this film and its following discussion were hosted by Bearth Tooth Theatre on October 15th.
Dawnland
by Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip
Dawnland tells the story of the first government-sanctioned truth and reconciliation commission in the U.S., investigating the devastating impact of Maine’s child welfare practices on Native American communities.
The FREE Screening of this film took place on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 in UAA’s Multicultural Center at Rasmuson Hall.
Curious George left the jungle many years ago, and he came to Alaska! Thanks to all the folks who came to shake a paw and share a hug with the curious chimp at the Alaska State Fair. Over 12 days 3,000 people heard storytelling and/or met Curious George at the Alaska Public Media PBS KIDS tent!
This event was free with Fair admission.
August 23 – September 3, 2018
Afternoons
Alaska State Fair
2075 Glenn Hwy, Palmer, AK 99645
Many crimes are fueled by drug and alcohol addictions. So what prevents some criminal activity? Helping people receive treatment. Thank you to the staff, inmates and community members who joined us for a conversation inside Goose Creek Correctional Center on June 27, 2018 to discuss about what’s happening within the state’s largest prison to help people recover from addictions and succeed on the outside.
The event was part of Alaska Public Media’s Community in Unity series. >> Listen to Community in Unity conversations
The event had 2,300 attendees and over 500 folks came by to chat, enter a drawing for a PBS KIDS tablet, pick up free PBS KIDS premiums, and sign-up for our Kids Club.
Thanks to those who joined Alaska Public Media at the Loussac Library in Anchorage for a book discussion and a free premiere screening of PBS MASTERPIECE’s Little Women, based on the beloved American classic. The mini-series premiered May 13 ,2018 on Alaska Public Media TV.
Some people stay at Fairbanks Correctional Center for a few days. Others are there for years. Most of the inmates are living their lives in limbo — awaiting their trials and their futures. Alaska Public Media’s Anne Hillman led Community in Unity: Life in Limbo, a community conversation on May 2, 2018 with inmates and staff inside the prison walls to learn about the inmates’ day-to-day lives and how they prepare for what’s next.
>> Listen to Community in Unity conversations
Thank you to all who joined Alaska Public Media for a free premiere screening of Look & See: Wendell Berry’s Kentucky at the Glenn Massay Theater in Palmer on April 17, 2018.
The film is a portrait of the changing landscapes and shifting values of rural America in the era of industrial agriculture, as seen through the mind’s eye of award-winning writer and farmer Wendell Berry, back home in his native Henry County, Kentucky.
Look & See premieres Monday, April 23 at 9 p.m. on Alaska Public Media TV.
Free premiere screening in Palmer of Little Women
What a great turn out! Nearly 200 folks joined Alaska Public Media in Palmer on April 10, 2018 for a free premiere screening of Masterpiece’s Little Women, based on the beloved American classic.
As engaging today as in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’s story follows sisters Jo (Maya Hawke), Meg (Willa Fitzgerald), Beth (Annes Elwy) and Amy (Kathryn Newton) who, together with Laurie (Jonah Hauer-King), journey to adulthood. The cast also includes Emily Watson, Angela Lansbury, Dylan Baker and Michael Gambon.
Don’t miss the premiere of Little Women on Alaska Public Media TV on Sunday, May 13, 2018.
We had an amazing time with Alaska families celebrating the February 19 premiere of Pinkalicious and Peterrific! Over 270 people attended six free family events presented in partnership with the Anchorage Public Library, which included listening to a book reading of the story that inspired the show, crafts and a screening.
Alaska Public Media was proud to partner with The Moth to bring you local stories of “firsts” at Williwaw in Anchorage for The Moth StorySLAM on February 15, 2018.
Our Jan. 8 screening of Victoria was completely filled! Due to popular demand, Alaska Public Media hosted a second free screening of the Season 2 premiere of PBS MASTERPIECE’s hit series Victoria at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub on Jan. 12.
Victoria, Season 2, premiered on Alaska Public Media TV January 14, 2018.
Wow! What a conversation. Thanks to the community for joining together on Dec. 9 to screen and discuss Tribal Justice with reporter Anne Hillman of our Solutions Desk. We had amazing perspectives shared – from a judge, public defender, defense lawyer, people who have gone through wellness court programs, and an engaged public. Thanks to our partners, the Anchorage International Film Festival and the Anchorage Loussac Library for this event.
What’s it like to be a young person today? What challenges do they face? What are their visions for the future? Join us for an open conversation led by and featuring Alaska youth, and hear their perspectives on building strong, trusting, supportive communities.
>> Listen to Community in Unity conversations
This event on Dec. 6 was a collaboration between Alaska Public Media, Out North Contemporary Art House, and Anchorage Downtown Partnership.
How can short-form storytelling help propel a community conversation about a war that still divides us as a nation? What are the challenges in documenting history as we live it? The creators of Alaska Public Media’s Vietnam Echoes series discussed how they mixed present-day interviews with archival footage to tell Alaskans’ stories of the Vietnam War during a special One Course Discourse at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub on Dec. 1.
This event was presented in partnership with the 2017 Anchorage International Film Festival.
Thank you to all who joined us for a fascinating and engaging community conversation with inmates, staff, and the public about preparing for life after prison conducted from inside Spring Creek. Led by reporter, Anne Hillman, we talked about what’s happening to prepare people for release, the prison’s role in the larger community, and how the two populations–inside and outside the wall–can connect.
The radio program from this event aired on Community in Unity.
Thank you to the 500 attendees who joined us for two free community screenings held Sept. 13 in Anchorage and Sept. 14 in Palmer. It was a remarkable experience to screen the hour-special of The Vietnam War and share in facilitated discussion with Alaska Humanities Forum.
The Vietnam War, a documentary series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, airs on Alaska Public Media TV this fall. Ten years in the making, this immersive, multi-faceted narrative features personal testimony from many perspectives. This is the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film.
Alaska Public Media is gathering local remembrances of the Vietnam War. Hear stories from our communities in the Vietnam Echoes series.
Check out full schedule of The Vietnam War and companion programming.
PBS KIDS favorites Daniel Tiger and Clifford the Big Red Dog visited adoring fans at the 2017 Alaska State Fair.
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders and organizations to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics, to family and relationships. Make friends, share stories, and join the conversation.
>> Check out the 2017-2018 schedule of films showing at UAA
Alaska Public Media staff participated in the 2017 Alaska VA Wellness Fair in July and gave away a PBS Kids Playtime Pad tablet.
More than 175 people joined Alaska Public Media for Midnight Oil Live, a free evening of storytelling featuring those who played a part building trans-Alaska pipeline history. Listen to the Midnight Oil podcast series from Alaska’s Energy Desk; the Alaska Public Media podcast with more than a million downloads.
