Heather Lende in Conversation With Jennifer Steinhauer

The writer whom the Los Angeles Times calls “part Annie Dillard, part Anne Lamott” now brings us her quirky and compassionate account of holding local office. Heather Lende was one of the thousands of women inspired to take a more active role in politics during the past few years. Though her entire campaign for assembly member in Haines, Alaska, cost less than $1,000, she won! But tiny, breathtakingly beautiful Haines — a place accessible from the nearest city, Juneau, only by boat or plane — isn’t the sleepy town that it appears to be: from a bitter debate about the expansion of the fishing boat harbor to the matter of how to stop bears from rifling through garbage on Main Street to the recall campaign that targeted three assembly members, including Lende, we witness the nitty-gritty of passing legislation, the lofty ideals of our republic, and how the polarizing national politics of our era play out in one small town. With an entertaining cast of offbeat but relatable characters, Lende’s new book, Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics (Algonquin), is an inspirational tale about what living in a community really means, and what we owe one another. Lende will be joined in conversation by New York Times reporter Jennifer Steinhauer, author of The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress.

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