March 2, 1996, Ken Waldman survived a plane crash on a flight from Brevig Mission to Nome, which makes for a good story. Yes, he was lucky--the photo of the airplane above barely begins to tell it.
He has plenty more stories, and is always happy to talk to print journalists, do radio call-ins, visit radio or tv studios. Here's Ken's bio:
Ken Waldman Bio
Because Ken Waldman does different kinds of events for different audiences, he'll use different bios. His bio for a performing arts center's main stage show is different than one for a literary arts reading series. And both are different than what he'd share for a children's festival.
Need something more? Get in touch with him: ken@kenwaldman.com or 337-258-5994.
(To learn how Ken Waldman became known as Alaska's Fiddling Poet, click back to the Nomadic Productions page on the website menu.)
The 5-word description/bio that started it all:
Ken Waldman, Alaska's Fiddling Poet.
25-word description/bio:
Ken Waldman has drawn on 41 years as an Alaska resident to produce poems, stories, and fiddle tunes that combine into a performance uniquely his.
75-word description/bio:
Ken Waldman has drawn on 41 years as an Alaska resident to produce poems, stories, and fiddle tunes that combine into a performance uniquely his. 12 CDs mix Appalachian-style string-band music with original poetry. 25 books include 17 poetry collections, 2 memoirs, 3 children's books, a creative writing manual, a short story volume, and a novel. Since 1995 he's toured full-time, performing at leading festivals, concert series, arts centers, and clubs.
130-word description/bio:
Ken Waldman has drawn on 41 years as an Alaska resident to produce poems, stories, and fiddle tunes that combine into a performance uniquely his. 12 CDs mix Appalachian-style string-band music with original poetry (and he's recorded over 100 of his own compositions—tunes that sound like they ought to be traditional). 25 books include 17 poetry collections, 2 memoirs, 3 children's books, a creative writing manual, a short story volume, and a novel. Since 1995 he's performed at leading concert series, festivals, universities, arts centers, and clubs. Though he'll still occasionally perform solo, he prefers to bring an accompanist or two, or a whole troupe of musicians, many of them often headliners themselves—and have included Willi Carlisle, Riley Baugus, The Early Mays, and other luminaries.
Full-length description/bio:
Ken Waldman has drawn on 41 years as an Alaska resident to produce poems, stories, and fiddle tunes that combine into a performance uniquely his. 12 CDs mix Appalachian-style string-band music with original poetry (and he's recorded over 100 of his own compositions—tunes that sound like they ought to be traditional). Two of the CDs are for children. 25 books include 17 poetry collections, 2 memoirs, 3 kids' books, a creative writing manual, a short story volume, and a novel. Since 1995 he's performed at leading concert series, festivals, universities, arts centers, and clubs, from the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage to the iconic Dodge Poetry Festival to the even more iconic Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland, Australia.
Though he'll still occasionally perform solo, he prefers to bring an accompanist or two, or a whole troupe of musicians, many of them often headliners themselves—and have included Willi Carlisle, Riley Baugus, The Early Mays, and other luminaries. “Feels like Ken Burns movie. . . . Always recommended.” --Austin Chronicle
Below are links and photos, and there's additional material on request. For now, here are quotes about his music, his writing, his work with kids, and his knowledge of this business. Here's a page with even more quotes.
Also, from a fall 2010 residency at Lakewood Cultural Center: A Denver Post newspaper feature. (And to bring this full circle, here's an endorsement letter from Ken's spring 2021 return to Lakewood through the same organization.)
From a fall 2011 residency at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania: a YouTube video made on campus prior to a performing arts series show. Here's a blog post, written by a librarian (and musician) at Alvernia, that puts the video in context.
From a fall 2012 residency at the Paramount Arts Center: an interview on WOUB (Athens OH) radio.
Want more? Get in touch with Ken!
