A new anthology edited by Alaska writer Michael Engelhard presents 33 essays grappling with the desires and dilemmas, concerns and choices that spring from tangling with the untamed.

Wild Moments: Adventures with Animals of the North, published by the University of Alaska Press, takes readers on journeys with writers such as Peggy Shumaker, Ned Rozell, Nick Jans, Debra McKinney, Kaylene Johnson, Jo-Ann Mapson and many other names familiar to Alaskans. In this beautifully illustrated book, crows battle each other, seals play, bears are scary and awe-inspiring, and the lynx are elusive.

In the introduction, Engelhard says the writers in his collection have "distilled an essence-the magic and unpredictability, the humor, the pathos, the bone and gristle, the smell of blood and the softness of fur.

"Beyond animal nature, they offer glimpses of our own, thrown into relief by contact with fellow beings. In their stories the personal frequently intersects the political, as, inevitably, joy mixes with grief... Although these essays are rooted in landscapes known intimately by only a few people, each one touches upon universal themes-the desires and dilemmas, concerns and choices that spring from our tangling with the untamed. While not all of them address threats to the environment, each one clearly shows what is at risk of being lost."

Loss is a theme in the book. So is being found; finding oneself through the "other," which sometimes looks and acts in ways that are too similar for comfort.

Events schedule for Wild Moments: Adventures with Animals of the North

Feb. 28, 2-4 pm: Signing at Gulliver's in Fairbanks.

March 5, 11:30-1 pm: At the Alaska Professional Communicators luncheon at the Golden Lion Best Western, Anchorage, the editor will introduce two new anthologies, including Wild Moments: Adventures with Animals of the North and discuss the pleasures and pains of anthologizing.

March 5, 5-7 pm: Reading at the UAA bookstore.

March 6, 4-7 pm: Signing at B & N, Anchorage.

March 6, noon-3 pm: Signing at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.

March 7, 1-3 pm: Signing at Title Wave, Anchorage

March 7, 4 pm: AK Bird TLC fundraiser / raffle at Terra Bella Cafe, Anchorage.

March 8, 2 pm: Reading at the Eagle River Nature Center. A live raptor from the Alaska Bird Rehabilitation Center in Wasilla will be present.

March 8, 5-8 pm: Reading at Pandemonium Booksellers and Cafe in Wasilla. A live raptor from the AK Bird Rehabilitation Center will be present.