Richard Nelson

Who is Richard Nelson?

Richard K. Nelson is a cultural anthropologist and writer whose work has focused primarily on the indigenous cultures of Alaska and, more generally, the relationships between people and nature. He is the host to a public radio series called Encounters aired nationally.

Nelson was born and raised in Wisconsin, attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He lived for extended periods in Athabaskan and Alaskan Eskimo villages, experiences which inspired his earliest works, including Hunters of the Northern Ice, Hunters of the Northern Forests, Shadow of the Hunter, and The Athabaskans.

With his book Make Prayers to the Raven about the Koyukon people of Alaska's boreal forest, Nelson moved from anthropological studies to a more literary style. The book was the basis for a five-part public television series, for which Nelson served as writer and associate producer.

Nelson's next book, The Island Within, won the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. He has also received the Lannan Literary Award for creative nonfiction writing and, from 1999–2001, served as the Alaska State Writer Laureate.