Contributed by Alys Culhane
A few days ago, I opened my mailbox and pulled forth a book-sized package. I stood, momentarily puzzled. I hadn’t ordered any books, for I had on hand enough reading material to last me the rest of my life.
The package contained a book, entitled Wheels on Ice. There was a photo of a bicyclist pushing a fully loaded bicycle on a snow-packed trail on the cover. My essay, entitled “The Things Bicyclists Carried,” was included in this anthology.
The story about how my story came to be came back to mind. It was April 2020. The Alaska State Fair had just been cancelled, and Head Gardener Becky Myrold had just been told that she needed to part out the season’s plants. She organized an online sale, and I assisted in passing out plants. I also gave gardeners free books, which were courtesy of the Bright Lights Book Project.
There was a lull midway through the second day. I’d forgotten to bring a book, so I checked my email. There was one message, from a former teacher, Frank Soos, was wondering if I’d like to submit an essay for an anthology that he was co-editing with Jessie Cherry. I immediately said yes. Ironically, Frank had once told me and my fellow students to reply in the affirmative if a reputable editor asked for a submission.
Frank was reputable. Twenty-five years previously, he’d been hired to teach writing courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where I was then a second-year graduate student. Upon meeting, I told him that I was going to go to New Zealand the following semester and do a three-month long bicycle tour. After, I’d write a series of essays, which would comprise my MFA thesis. Frank suggested that I take his graduate-level writing workshop, adding that while most long-distance bicyclists wrote in journals, few got their ideas in print. He wanted assurance that I’d be an exception to this rule.
By the semester’s end, Frank was my writing mentor and coach. My thesis was entitled Road Songs: Exploring New Zealand by Bicycle. I then completed the Iditabike, a 200-mile race, accidently, in reverse. This was all under Frank’s guidance.
I continued to write about my adventure-related exploits after I graduated. I must have been moderately successful, for Frank wanted me to submit an essay for inclusion in Wheels on Ice.
There is always a caveat, and this is that being invited to submit work does not necessarily mean that it will be accepted. From beginning to end, you have to grab and keep your editor’s attention. This is why I immediately wrote back to Frank and said that I’d soon bicycle and horseback ride from Fairbanks to Valdez. My essay would be entitled “The Things Bicyclists Carried.” I further explained that the title and essay would be based upon Tim O’Brien’s The Things they Carried. O’Brien, I said, wrote about the things Vietnam war veterans carried, and I, following his lead, would write about the things that I, a bicyclist/book project devotee carried. I continued to elaborate, noting that my purpose was twofold. I’d both promote the Bright Lights Book Project, and as well, the book that the Mat-Su School District had previously attempted to ban.
Frank and I corresponded as I prepared for, undertook, and completed my trip. After, I began writing. Every good piece of writing poses a challenge to its author, and this essay was no exception. My challenge was audience related. Frank was the sort of teacher who raised the writing bar. I now wanted him to think that I was not a has been, but rather an exemplary writer.
I hit several stuck points in writing my essay. And in hitting stuck points, I took breaks and problem solved. And in problem solving, I missed my deadline. Frank finally told me that my essay would not be included in the anthology if I didn’t meet an extended deadline.
I finished the essay, then sent it to him. He sent me back a message saying that it was worth the wait. High praise indeed. Higher praise came, when after a subsequent revision, Frank told her that mine was his favorite submission.
Two weeks later I received an e-mail message from Cherry, saying that Frank had died in a bicycling accident, while on vacation in Maine.
As I held this book in my hand, my memories related to the story behind the story came back to mind. Wheels on Ice is a tribute to a most amazing teacher, writer, and editor.
Alys Culhane is a Palmer-based writer, and currently the Executive Director of the Bright Lights Book Project.