Summer 2025 Issue #3

Ice in His Veins, Fire in His Fists: 

Adams, born in the deep freeze of Alaska, learned survival as a lifestyle and how to sit with himself and quiet the noise. He became the first-ever BKFC heavyweight titleholder in 2018, beating DJ Linderman and dismantling Sam Shewmaker in the final. Adams' nickname, "Bomaye," is a mantra, taking from the legendary chant shouted by Zairean fans during Muhammad Ali's 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle." advocating for better fighter pay, long-term health support, and professionalism.

Cadillac Flats Pipeline Cowboys:   

Cadillac Flats, Alaska, was the heart of Fairbanks' pipeline-fueled oil rush in the 1970s, a hub of activity, with strippers making more money than bankers and roofers becoming millionaires. By the early 1980s, the pipeline was finished, and the gold rush ended as fast as it had begun.

Mike Pedarock Hustle & Snow:

Pedarock's mission is to bust open the lazy, reductive images of Alaska that dominate national media, believing Alaska is the most diverse place in the country with roots from Hawaii to Africa to the Bronx.

Rising Star Summer 25

Jenniah Hearns, a rising star in Fairbanks, is preparing to enter ninth grade at West Valley High School and dreams of Broadway.

Ink & Ash

Hip-hop, once a source of survival, protest, and Black brilliance, has been engineered to demasculinize, disempower, and disorient a generation of young Black and Brown boys. The mainstream hip-hop pushes a duality between lean-sipping, pill-popping nihilism and hyper-polished vulnerability, with the "lonely man" being the product of grooming. The loneliness epidemic is real, and young men are feeling it at dangerous levels. The answer is not to turn back the clock or become moral police, but to remember the original mission of hip-hop. This means embedding education, healing, and mentorship in the culture again, asking why certain images are pushed and why others are buried.

Dispatches from Real Alaska:

Every issue, we’ll bring you gritty, funny, haunting, and awe-inspiring stories straight from the source elders, homesteaders, bush pilots, gamblers, swindlers and families who carved a life into Alaska’s icy veins before the rest of us even showed up.

Jenn's Corner:

In a candid exploration, Jenn delves into the complexities of mental health, addressing the challenges and various issues surrounding the topic.

Ask Me If I Care?:

Think of it as the bold, brutally honest, unfiltered modern-day Dear Abby — except this time, it’s for the chaos of right now. We're talking identity, art, ethics, love, loss, hustle, heartbreak, activism, and everything in between. No judgment. No fluff. Just real talk from voices that get it.

Cold grounds Closed doors:

Alaska's housing crisis is reshaping entire communities and leaving thousands without a place to call home. Local governments have responded with piecemeal solutions, such as temporary shelters, tent city clean-ups, and pilot programs that vanish with the next budget cut. Grassroots organizations are doing what the state refuses, creating warming stations, converting buses into mobile shelters, and offering transitional housing in churches, donated motels, or community spaces.

Bold + Beauty:

A series featuring breast cancer survivor Christina Barron, a devoted mother, widow, and Realtor based in Anchorage, Alaska, is a living testament to resilience and turning personal pain into purpose. Christina's definition of beauty has evolved over the years, celebrating generosity and intention.

Cold Cases:

A gripping assortment of eerie, unresolved cases stands as a powerful call to action for the voiceless, those yearning for justice in a world that often overlooks them.