East Anchorage Book Club with Andrew Gray
The East Anchorage Book Club is an interview podcast where Alaskan leaders discuss politics and community issues.
Episodes
284 episodes
Willie Iġġiaġruk Hensley: key advocate for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA), founder of Northwest Arctic Native Association (NANA), & author of "50 Miles from Tomorrow"
Willie Iġġiaġruk Hensley was born in 1941 in Kotzebue, Alaska, and was raised to live the traditional way that his Iñupiaq ancestors had lived for thousands of years. As a young adult away at college, his family home in Kotzebue was sold...
Matt Schultz: former Democratic Candidate for Alaska's US House Seat
Reverend Matt Schultz is the pastor for First Presbyterian Church in downtown Anchorage. He was the Democratic candidate for Alaska's lone US House seat up until he suspended his campaign on July 17. With his departure, there are still 1...
Spencer Perry: health economics professor at ISER
Spencer Perry, PhD, is an assistant professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchor...
Ethan Berkowitz: former Anchorage Mayor & former AK House Minority Leader
Former Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz moved to Alaska in 1990 after he finished law school in San Francisco. In 1996 he ran for an open state house seat in west Anchorage, and he served in the state legislature for 10 years, 8 as minori...
Julia Lurie: senior reporter at Mother Jones discusses her research on foster care in Alaska, adoption in Utah, & child sex abuse in Florida
Julia Lurie is a senior reporter at Mother Jones, a nonprofit American magazine that focuses on news, commentary, and investigative journalism. In 2023, Julia wrote a story entitled,
Heather Doncaster: MC of Mad Myrna's Diva Variety Show, Middle School Art Teacher, & caretaker of disabled animals
Heather Doncaster leads three different lives. The first is the one she is most famous for and that is as master of ceremonies for Mad Myrna's weekly Diva Variety Show. She has held this job for over ...
Rep. Chuck Kopp (R-South Anchorage): majority leader in the AK state house & former Kenai Police Chief
The Majority Leader in the Alaska State House is Representative Chuck Kopp of South Anchorage. After a childhood in Iliamna and Kenai, he began a 23-year career in law enforcement, the last six as Chief of the Kenai Police Department. In...
Ken Alper: Alaska Tax Division Director 2014-2018 & long-time legislative staff
Ken Alper served as the director of the Tax Division for Governor Bill Walker. After earning a master's degree in Urban Planning at the University of Washington, Ken and his wife Jill relocated to Juneau in the early 90s where the...
Bruce Botelho: former Alaska Attorney General & former Juneau Mayor
Bruce Botelho is the former Attorney General for the state of Alaska under Republican Governor Wally Hickel and under Democratic Governor Tony Knowles. Bruce also served as Mayor of Juneau from 1988-1991 and from 2003-2012....
Amy Wallace: Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre's ghostwriter
Author Amy Wallace was the ghostwriter for Virginia Roberts Giuffre's, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice. Virginia Giuffre was an American ad...
Stephen J. Cox, Acting Attorney General for Alaska
Stephen J. Cox is the acting Attorney General of Alaska since August 29th, 2025. He was appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy after the previous Attorney General Treg Taylor resigned to begin his gubernatorial campaign. Stephen C...
Brenda Stanfill: Director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA)
The Executive Director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) is Brenda Stanfill. She moved to Fairbanks from Utah when she was 16 years old as a newlywed. Within a ...
Aubrey Wieber: director of the 907 Initiative
Aubrey Wieber is the founder and executive director of the 907 Initiative. The 907 Initiative is an Alaska-based government watchdog organization working to increase public transparency for state ...
Keri Ladner: Author of "American Dominion: the Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom"
Author Keri Ladner, PhD, is an expert on fundamentalist politics in America and the radicalization of the conservative movement. She specializes in the religious beliefs of the American right, and her work illuminates how those beliefs h...
Samu El Bayani Neek: Iranian in Anchorage discusses the war with Iran
Samu El Bayani Neek was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. At 12 his parents divorced, and he had to drop out of middle school to begin working as a barber. During this tumultuous period in his life, he discovered a church in Tehran and co...
Rep. Will Stapp (R-Fairbanks) on education funding, veterans' court reform, & the effort to overhaul AK elections
The Alaska State House Representative for East Fairbanks is Will Stapp. This is his second appearance on the podcast. To learn more about Will's early life and military service (including his Purple Heart),
AK MEDIA: Wil Courtney, political reporter at KTUU Channel 2 & host of Political Pipeline Podcast
Wil Courtney is a Political Reporter and Multimedia Journalist for KTUU Channel 2 Alaska's News Source and host of the station's
Sen. John Fredrickson (D-Omaha): first gay man elected to the Nebraska state legislature
Nebraska State Senator John Fredrickson was first elected in 2022 by a margin of only 82 votes. He is the first openly gay man to be elected to the Nebraska state legislature. We discuss Nebraska's unicameral non-partisan legislature and...
Rep. Jeremy Bynum (R-Ketchikan): on a Pentecostal childhood, the Air Force, being accepted in Ketchikan, & the over-the-top politics of Juneau
The Alaska State House Representative for Ketchikan is Jeremy Bynum. We discuss his childhood growing up in a devout Pentecostal household, his escape to the Air Force, and his struggles being accepted as a newcomer to Ketchikan. We also...
Domestic Violence Protective Orders: Laura Booch & Dr. Ingrid Johnson
Laura Booch and Dr. Ingrid Johnson both appeared at the Alaska State House Judiciary Committee's informational hearing on Civil Protective Orde...
Loss of $700 Million in DOT projects explained by Rep. Zack Fields (D-Anchorage)
Representative Zack Fields of downtown Anchorage explains the Alaska State House's
Edgar Ruiz: Director of Council of State Governments West
Edgar Ruiz is the Director of the Council of State Governments West. The Council of State Governments (CSG), is a nonpartisan national organization that connects and informs all three branches of state go...
Eric Croft: Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party, former State House member, & former Anchorage Assembly Member
Eric Croft is the Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party. Erik was born to Chancey and Toni Croft in Anchorage, but he grew up with his two siblings traveling back and forth to Juneau where...
Foster Care in Alaska 2026: Landen Ryan & Madison Brewer
To learn more about becoming a foster parent, click here.Landen Ryan is a senior at Service High School in Anchorage. Madison Brewer
Cat & Ben Walker: Teachers of the Year forced out of Alaska
2024 Alaska Teacher of the Year Catherine Walker teaches high school engineering and marine biology at Dimond High School. 2018 Alaska Teacher of the Year Ben Walker teaches 7th grade science at Romig Middle School. Both are in th...