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After a full day of travel, Tim and I finally landed in Chicago for the American Librarians Association (ALA) Convention to be held the weekend of June 26 through the 28. Kaho’olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People, illustrated by Harinani Orme, was being honored with the APALA (Asian Pacific ALA) Pasifika Picture Book Award! Hundreds of vendors and thousands of people filled the vast McCormick Center. On our first day, we made a beeline to Lerner’s exhibition space where I finally met my dream editor, Carol Hinz, in person! I got to meet authors I’ve followed for years, including Carole Boston Weatherford (Unspeakable), Miranda Paul (One Plastic Bag), Jilanne Hoffman (The Ocean’s Heart) and illustrator Lauren Tamaki (Seen and Unseen), as well as new friends Calvin Alexander Ramsey (The Library in the Woods) and Florence Migga (Summer Scrapbook.)

The whirlwind weekend culminated in the awards banquet at the New Furama at Chicago’s historic Chinatown. The restaurant reminded me of home, and so it was the perfect venue for what felt like a family reunion rather than a formal banquet. The space was filled with so much aloha, thanks to our new friends. A very special mahalo to the team at Lerner Books, who were there to cheer us every step of the way: Carol Hinz, Adam and Maryann Lerner, Andy Cummings, Megan Ciskowski, and Lindsay Matvick. 

Harinani and I are so thankful for the honors our book has received. Our hope is that more kids will learn the story of Kahoʻolawe and how the little island and her people continue to thrive.

Please enjoy a few photos from the convention. Mahalo nui!

daShop: books+curiosities in Kaʻimukī was the place to be on Saturday, February 28! Its parent company, Bess Press, hosted us in an epic book signing and art+writing pāʻina (party). Mahalo nui to David Deluca (Publisher and Coo), Kristen Namba Reed (Director of Publishing, Trade), Sarah Deluca (Director of Literacy and Curriculum Design), Dimpna Figuracion (Educational Partnerships Manager) and Jen Yoneshige (Operations Manager) for making the event so much fun! The space was filled with so much aloha!

What made this event so special is that the book’s illustrator, Harinani Orme, came prepared with her sketches and notebooks. She took the audience on a journey, from her research process and preliminary sketches to the final paintings that made it into the book.

Best of all, we talked story with the librarians, teachers, readers, parents, and grandparents in the audience who had brought their children. Our hope is that more people will learn the story of Kahoʻolawe and how the little island continues to thrive today.

Please enjoy these photos of the event. Mahalo nui! (all photos here are used with permission)

Last Friday illustrator Harinani Orme and I had the coolest school visit! Mahalo to Pearl Ridge Elementary school librarian Lori Tonaki for inviting us to share the book with the school’s four classes of fourth graders. The students were the perfect audience — attentive and  curious. Librarians have always been my heroes, and Ms. Tonaki is the kind of creative and supportive school librarian every child deserves.

What a bunch of akamai kids! They asked the best, most thoughtful questions — like why I like to write non-fiction and what the hardest thing about being a writer is. They asked Harinani when she knew she wanted to be an artist and what inspires her to create her illustrations. It was so fun for us to interact with these bright, thoughtful students.

We handed out coloring pages (mahalo, Hari!) and bookmarks to thank the kids for being with us that day. 

Please enjoy these photos of the event. We took so many more photos with the kids, but I’m just including just a couple for you here (to protect the their privacy.) Aloha!

Photo credit: Lori Tonaki

On Saturday February 8, 2025, we held an epic book launch pāʻina — party. Our host was the wonderful Native Books, a Native Hawaiian owned bookshop located in the Historic Chinatown District in Honolulu. Thank to owner Maile Meyer and her staff, especially Kūakoloa Robinson, the event was magical. The space was filled with so much aloha, thanks to our many family and friends. 

Illustrator Harinani Orme and I are so thankful for all of your support. We are thrilled that more kids will learn the true story of Kahoʻolawe and how the little island and her people continue to thrive today. Please enjoy these photos of the event. Mahalo nui!

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, Native Hawaiian activist, photographer, and attorney at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, this collection of photographs, Ka Poʻe Kiaʻi (the guardians and protectors of Mauna Kea), documents one of the largest protests held at various locations in Honolulu. Whether  attending a rally at ʻIolani Palace with their families, meeting with officials from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or holding a sign all alone at a street corner, these poʻe kiaʻi feel deeply that their message must be heard.

Itʻs 2022 — seven years after this collection was first published a Pūpū A ʻO Ewa — we are still fighting.