The Eagle River publisher of the nation's second largest literary quarterly, "Rosebud," which in itself has received numerous accolades, just received some more great news.

His latest book, "The Trap," which won the James Jones First Novel Fellowship Contest, has been accepted for 2006 publication by a large New York publishing firm.

He just got the word Tuesday morning.

At 5 a.m.

"Folks in New York must have forgotten the time difference," Smelcer said.

But that was OK with him.

"Good news is always welcome," he said. "And what a great early Christmas present."

The James Jones prize is given annually from the estate of the late writer of American literary classics such as "From Here to Eternity" and "The Thin Red Line."

Having his work associated with a novelist such as Jones is a prize in itself, said Smelcer.

"The Trap" is an Alaskan-based fiction work that follows the ordeal an old Native man faces when he steps into his own wolf trapline and realizes that no one will come searching for him for days. He has no food to eat and wolves harass him at night. His young grandson, who is safely back in the village, begins to worry about his grandfather's safety. He eventually leaves via snow machine to search for his grandfather.

Smelcer said the book is more than a rescue story with language reminiscent of Jack London.

"It examines a lot of broader Alaska Native issues," Smelcer said. "The very name of the book represents two things. Of course there is the physical wolf trap that the old man steps into but for a young person, life in the village can be like a trap as well. They are watching contemporary American culture on satellite television, but there is none of that in their village. It is a very honest novel."

Smelcer himself can identify.

He grew up in Tazlina and is by far the youngest remaining fluent speaker of his language, Ahtna.

In the late 1990s, Smelcer wrote the Ahtna dictionary working with tribal elders in an effort to save the dying language.

He's taught a variety of English topics at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is now a professor at the Anchorage campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

The James Jones prize isn't the only success he's seen in 2004.

About six months ago, his latest poetry book, "Without Reservation," won the 2004 Kessler Poetry Prize sponsored by Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y. The prize honors Milton Kessler, a poet of international renown and former English professor who founded the creative writing program at the university.

And then there's the success of "Rosebud", a literary magazine Smelcer has been publishing for nearly a decade with written appearances by nearly every Pulitzer and Nobel Peace Prize winner for the past 10 years.

The 2004 spring edition featured a poem, "For Owen," written by Stephen King.

Smelcer wrote to the famous horror suspense writer, asking him for poetry.

"Most folks don't think of him as a poet, but he is a good one," Smelcer said. "If we had asked him for a story, we couldn't have afforded that. But he could afford to give "Rosebud," a poem and I could afford to pay him for that."

"Rosebud" with its paid circulation of more than 25,000 is available nationally at Barnes and Nobles bookstores.

A coming issue represents Smelcer's latest cue.

A painting by Paul McCartney is being used for a future cover.

Could life get any sweeter for Smelcer?

Yes, he and wife Pam are putting the finishing touches on a home they mostly built by themselves.

"We saved nearly a-quarter-a-million dollars doing it this way," he said.

It helps him finish up his next literary project: A book based on interviews conducted with the only three survivors from a coastal village completely destroyed in the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake.

Smelcer said he's too busy to even take in the domino effect of this year's success.

When asked if he ever thinks about pinching himself, he said, "I did Tuesday."

Reach the reporter at news@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, December 2, 2004.