Ken McAlpine
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About Me:
Ken McAlpine’s latest book “Together We Jump” was praised by Sunset Magazine as “lyrical, evocative and deeply moving…a luminous American novel.” He is also the author of the novel “Fog”and the non-fiction works “Off Season: Discovering America on Winter’s Shore” and “Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization.” His magazine articles have earned three Lowell Thomas awards, travel writing's top award. He is based in Ventura, California.
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My KCET.org Activities
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It is true that picking up trash for a few hours won't realign the Earth's axis. But it is also true that it is a fine place to start.
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The beauty -- and fun -- of Temecula's undiscovered wine country.
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This is not a story about firsts; it's about everything that comes before. Some might call them failures.
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Poor lighting threatens astronomy, disrupts ecosystems (nocturnal bird migrations, bat behavior and sea turtle movements), and disrupts teenage necking.
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Such memories might seem small and inconsequential, but anyone who has traveled knows they are not inconsequential at all.
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When I closed my eyes to the animal-shaped clouds I could hear wing beats and the zipper-quick whine of a passing bee. Little things, but perhaps not so little.
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How can nature be saved at a time when people need it most? It is a very difficult question, not just in Uganda but around the world.
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A friend of mine died the other day in a motorcycle accident. He was far too young to die. Such sadness is beyond words, but this friend deserves words because of the lesson and example he left behind.
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Posted My Street Corner, Your Decision: Homeless Pits Church, Neighbors Against Each Other
in SoCal FocusWould you want it in your neighborhood? We all know the answer to that. But how might you feel about being abandoned? -
It is a place so quiet that when you bend to the tall wind-stroked grasses the sound you hear is like the softest snowfall. It is the loveliest almost-quiet and satisfying beyond words. It is also a reminder.
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Held up against Egyptian tumult, airplane crashes, and jury acquittals, this is certainly not global news, but it is just as important.
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This independence we stand upon, it is sacrifice beyond scope.
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Certain shark species have been reduced by as much as 90 percent. Extinction is forever. Is it worth texture in a bowl of soup?
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Life requires some measure of practicality, for there are wages to earn and bills to pay and errands to run. But to also dismiss the miracles around us seems a shame.
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With fatherhood there is no telling what might unfold.
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One percent for the dinosaurs and all the other creatures scurrying to stay out from underfoot. One percent for seven billion people. And counting.
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Posted Hope in a 4 Pound Package: What Island Fox Recovery Can Teach Us About Our Future
in SoCal FocusThere is hope. It's a narrow window, but the breeze of possibility blows through it. I like to think our island fox has shown us the way. -
Chris Martinez left an indelible trail. This is a fine thing, because there can never be enough smiles.
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Ojai is very near to Los Angeles, but the land of fruit and wine feels like another planet.
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Each time I see Two Trees they whisper the same thing to me. If your town has an icon -- and I'm betting it does -- you understand.
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These kinds of people, they reside in the places that last. In our character. In our choices. In our minds and our hearts.
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How often do we step ahead when standing still is what matters?
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Starving sea lion pups are washing up on Southern California beaches in record numbers -- at a rate five times the norm. It has gotten so bad the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared an "unusual mortality event."
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What happened to us? When did we become so elevator-silent, so dour, so proper, so scrunch-faced, so mature?
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The words just kind of snuck up on him. Words can do that. Depressing, inspiring, uplifting, unsettling, erotic. Life-changing.
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In these graduating times, cause for celebration and remembering: smeary handprints won't forever stay messy or small.
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We all crave reassurance, the knowledge that a scrap of us will last beyond the flare of our life.
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College shouldn't just be about how much money you should make. The questions are far grander. What barrier will I break? How can I change the world?
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Sex. Anger. Lust. Now I know you'll read.
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We are a strange and sometimes beautiful species.
Recent Actions from Ken McAlpine
No recommendations yet.
-
It is true that picking up trash for a few hours won't realign the Earth's axis. But it is also true that it is a fine place to start.
-
The beauty -- and fun -- of Temecula's undiscovered wine country.
-
This is not a story about firsts; it's about everything that comes before. Some might call them failures.
-
Poor lighting threatens astronomy, disrupts ecosystems (nocturnal bird migrations, bat behavior and sea turtle movements), and disrupts teenage necking.
-
Such memories might seem small and inconsequential, but anyone who has traveled knows they are not inconsequential at all.
-
When I closed my eyes to the animal-shaped clouds I could hear wing beats and the zipper-quick whine of a passing bee. Little things, but perhaps not so little.
-
How can nature be saved at a time when people need it most? It is a very difficult question, not just in Uganda but around the world.
-
A friend of mine died the other day in a motorcycle accident. He was far too young to die. Such sadness is beyond words, but this friend deserves words because of the lesson and example he left behind.
-
Posted My Street Corner, Your Decision: Homeless Pits Church, Neighbors Against Each Other
in SoCal FocusWould you want it in your neighborhood? We all know the answer to that. But how might you feel about being abandoned? -
It is a place so quiet that when you bend to the tall wind-stroked grasses the sound you hear is like the softest snowfall. It is the loveliest almost-quiet and satisfying beyond words. It is also a reminder.
