Hauoli Makahiki Hou, everyone! I love the start of a shiny new year. We also celebrate Chinese New Year around here. Kung Hee Fat Choy! What better way to start a new year but with talented Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi based writers and creators! Meet the wonderful Dru Santiago, Hawaiʻi based illustrator and the 2021 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Narrative Art award.
As 2022 ends, I look back with aloha and gratitude to the many people who have made such a difference in my writing life.
Our ongoing series with Native Hawaiian and local Hawaiʻi writers continues this week with Caren Loebel-Fried, the talented, award-winning author/illustrator from Volcano, Hawaiʻi. Her beautiful block-printing focuses on conservation and the natural world.
Protests about the building of huge astronomical telescopes at the summit Mauna Kea have been going on for decades. They’ve only recently been brought into focus because of the planned Thirty Meter Telescope. As descendants of the earliest Polynesian voyagers, the kanaka ʻoiwi have always understood the importance of astronomy. But for a people who have long suffered the loss of their country and autonomy, desecration of their sacred mountain and the natural environment must end. As seen through the lens of Kai Markell,
Come along with Joe and Mara as they hunt for the night marchers in March On, the hilariously spooky video by my friend, the writer and storyteller Courtney Takabayashi. Be sure to watch through the credits for the lovable eccentric, Uncle Kimo. Courtneyʻs video is a past winner of the Halloween Video Contest sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now.
Our ongoing series on Native Hawaiian and local Hawaiʻi writers continues this week with Adam Keawe, the talented Native Hawaiian writer and blogger. If you’re a regular reader of Ka Wai Ola O OHA, then you’ve no doubt read Adam’s wonderfully interesting, well-researched articles about the history and culture of our people.
One of the most popular videos we published at Pūpū was this little gem, Moke Action, an early film directed by the talented Native Hawaiian filmmaker ʻĀina Paikai. Not surprisingly, ʻĀina would go on to make many award-winning short films, including the wonderful Hawaiian Soul in
Welcome to our latest interview with Native Hawaiian and local Hawaiʻi writers! Author Dani Hickman is the author of four delightful children’s books published by Island Heritage. Hi, Dani. For those who haven’t met you, could you please tell us a little about yourself? I’m a married local girl with four adult children. My youngest, who co-authored
Some of my favorite popular posts when I published Pūpū A ‘O ‘Ewa Native Hawaiian Writing and Arts at Leeward Community College were personal essays by students and faculty. Fishing for Grandma, by my colleague and longtime friend, Dave Kaʻapuwai “Manu” Bird, was first published in 2014. About this essay, one of our readers wrote, “I especially loved reading Manu’s
The Hawaiian language — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi — is a beautiful, rich language. Thanks to the internet, ʻōlelo can now be heard across the globe. Read-aloud versions of childrenʻs books in English are readily available online. And now thanks to Kamehameha Publishing, books in ōlelo are, too.
Kamalani Hurley
[photo: Rokki Midro]
Kamalani Hurley
[photo: Rokki Midro]
