Have fiddle, will travel

Frontiersman

When deciding a career path, not too many people choose &#8220fiddling poet,” but for Ken Waldman, it's been a long and fun journey that has taken him around the country.

Waldman has been known as &#8220Alaska's Fiddling Poet” since 1994, and during the last decade he has been to leading universities, festivals, art centers and clubs. A former professor, Waldman said he sees his gig as an extension of being an

educator.

&#8220It's kind of like teaching because I get to talk about fiddling, I get to talk about poetry, and I get to talk about Alaska,” Waldman said Friday from Skagway. &#8220I'm just trying to make the world a better place. I think what I do is thoughtful, it's pretty good, and it can make a difference. I'm glad I have that opportunity.”

In the last year, Waldman released two CDs and published three new poetry collections, all of which have received acclaim from critics around the country. He has five books and five CDs to his credit, and has no plans on slowing down.

Waldman officially lists himself as an Anchorage resident, but the road is his true home. He's spent the last five years on tour, performing in a variety of venues from large concert halls to small community

gatherings.

&#8220I like traveling enough to keep doing it, and I'm getting paid enough that it's hard to take other, more regular, jobs,” Waldman said. &#8220I get a little tired of it every now and then, but this is how I'm making my income, and I enjoy it. I'm hardly ever in the state, but when I am, it's nice to play and meet up with friends.”

Waldman is playing Thursday at Mountain High Pizza Pie in Talkeetna and Friday in Palmer, and while he's not getting paid handsomely, he said every performance is essentially an audition for a future job.

&#8220You never know who is going to show up. It could be a teacher that wants me to do an artist residency, for example,” Waldman said. &#8220You meet a lot of people, and that helps.”

As a graduate student in Fairbanks in the mid-80s, Waldman studied creative writing and started writing poetry, some of which were about fiddling. Following graduation, he lived in Sitka, Nome and Juneau, and he started doing public readings of his poetry. Now and then, he'd pick up the fiddle as part of the performances, and grew increasingly better.

About that time, Waldman left his job as a professor and quit fiddling due to an illness. Finally, in 1994, he was able to pick back up the pieces and start over as &#8220Alaska's Fiddling Poet.”

&#8220I needed an income, and I was able to start playing together, and I had all the poems,” Waldman said. &#8220It took a while, but everything came together.”

During his swing through the state, Waldman will be joined by Jordan Wankoff, who teaches fiddle and banjo at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Wankoff has played on two of Waldman's CDs and has toured with Waldman in the past. In 2004, they duo played summer dates throughout Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma.