Not Rich, and barely famous

It's the daydream of just about everybody who dabbles in the arts: Chuck the job, abandon security and devote yourself to the muse. For writers and musicians, that fantasy often goes hand-in-hand with a desire to hit the road. Think Woody Guthrie, Jack Kerouac—or Ken Waldman. An itinerant poet, old-time fiddler and teacher, Waldman has been living the folk artist's version of the American dream for more than a decade. In Are You Famous? Touring with Alaska's Fiddling Poet (Catalyst Book Press, 226 pp., $15), he describes the realities of the road taken, and offers a travel guide for aspiring free spirits.

In 1992, Waldman was in his mid-30s, an accomplished amateur musician and writer with a university teaching gig in Alaska, his adopted home state. His well-constructed life fell apart when a baffling illness cost him his ability to play and write, and, eventually, his job. As he struggled to recover, he began to shape the performance persona—"Alaska's Fiddling Poet"—that would become his livelihood. He traveled the country, offering workshops and performances pretty much anyplace that would have him. Still living the wandering life, he's now an established commercial enterprise, with six poetry books to his credit, and a similar number of recordings.

Are You Famous? is a detailed account of how Waldman made his transformation—"detailed" being the operative word. Although there are plenty of anecdotes about love and life on the road, the bulk of the book is devoted to the practical challenges of being a working artist. He enumerates his many roles—publicist, chauffeur, travel agent, bill collector, etc.—and says, "It's a good thing I perform, I sometimes joke, or else I'd never have time to play the fiddle."

He also gripes about those who dismiss the value of his work. Although Waldman's had his run-ins with music promoters and venues, his ire is directed primarily toward the publishing world. "The book business, now that's dark," he writes, and proves it with a litany of insults he's suffered, best illustrated by the nametag he was given at BookExpo America, the mammoth annual trade show of the publishing industry, just after his second book was published: "Ken Waldman, Nomadic Press, Anchorage, AK, Non-Industry Visitor."

Waldman seems to intend his book to be as much a cautionary tale as a memoir. Although he clearly loves his chosen path, being a successful free spirit requires endless work and a large measure of faith. "There are plenty of opportunities out there," he writes, "though you might never find them."