About Poetica

Poetica was founded by Anchorage graphic designer, writer, musician and creative strategist Emily (Kurn) Tallman.

With more than two decades deeply involved in Anchorage’s arts community, Emily believes in an interdisciplinary approach to design.

Before establishing her own business in 2016, Emily worked as art director and senior account executive at Anchorage’s Thompson & Co. Public Relations. She has served as associate poetry editor for Cirque Literary Journal; as a board member for the Anchorage Folk Festival; and currently serves on the board of The Music Machine. She was the recipient of a 2009 Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award and is the founder of Arts Anchorage, a community arts calendar.

For nearly a decade, Emily toured nationally as a working singer/songwriter, garnering numerous honors including second place in the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Contest and third place in the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival’s Emerging Artists Showcase. Her music ranked for eight consecutive months on the Folk-DJ charts and continues to see airplay nationally. Her song “If I Am American” was featured in the 2008 documentary “American Music: Off the Record.”

Since 2021, her graphic design work has been recognized annually by the American Institute for Graphic Arts Alaska’s annual design contest, including Gold/Best in Category for the Music Alaska logo.

Emily has a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from Brandeis University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She likes riding bikes with her family (especially in other countries) and tap dancing. She can’t whistle.