I sometimes ask my piano students what parts of the body we use to play the piano. Their answers begin with the obvious one (fingers, hands) and then move on to feet (for pedals) and eyes (for reading music). One student said heart (emotions, soul), an answer I loved.
I wait for them to think of the answer that's so important to their playing, and I may give a clue, but eventually we reach that "ah, yes" moment. Of course, we use our ears to play.
If we rephrase the question, and ask what music listeners use to experi [...]
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In the New York Times Writers on Writing series, Miami novelist Carl Hiaasen wrote: "I can't tell you how often I get asked if Elian (Gonzalez) will turn up in my next book. The challenge is too daunting, and not because the real life drama defies satire. It is satire."
This quote came to mind as I read Wayfinding Through the Storm: Speaking Truth to Power at Kamehameha Schools 1993-1999. This book tells the story of the epic battle between Bishop Estate trustees and Kamehameha Schools faculty, students, and alumni in a series of quotes from the play [...]
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Hawai'i Book and Music Festival 2010 Presented by Bank of Hawaii May 15-16 2010 10 a.m-5 p.m. On the Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds of Honolulu Hale FREE Admission - FREE Parking Read the rest of this entry »

What was the best book of last year in Hawai'i? Vote for your favorite to receive the HawaiiReaders.com Award given as part of the Hawai'i Book Publisher's Association's Ka Palapala Po'okela awards. You can vote for a children's book, literature, Hawaiian culture, photo books, natural science, cookbooks or non-fiction. Choose one from the more than 70 books nominated. Vote here now.  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/33YQX5P

When an elderly couple’s daily toil for water during a drought fills them with despair, a mysterious dream reveals an unexpected source of water. With hard work and faith, the life-giving water gives way to hope to many in O‘ahu’s Mānoa Valley.

This is the third book in the Ku‘una Series, a collaboration between Kamehameha Publishing and Hale Kuamo‘o.
About the Author and Illustrator
Kawehi Avelino is a graduate of the Kahuawaiola Hawaiian Medium Teacher Education Program and currently [...]
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“Sixteen deceptively simple stories comprise Michelle Cruz Skinner’s much-anticipated follow-up to Balikbayan and Mango Seasons, many of them about Filipinos tongue-tied and alienated in the motherland, or scattered across the map of heartaches and homesickness in the company of strangers called countrymen, family, lovers. A book of quiet gems definitely worth the wait.” --R. Zamora Linmark, author of Prime Time Apparitions and The Evolution of a Sigh
“The essential subject of these captivating stories is memory, but [...]
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Born and raised in the most multicultural state in the union, President Barack Obama bears the indelible stamp of his native Hawai‘i. Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris’s book, The Dream Begins: How Hawai‘i Shaped Barack Obama (Watermark Publishing, 2009), is a coming-of-age story set in Hawai‘i’s storied “melting pot”—a revealing look at the island state that is surely a core part of what makes Obama tick. Read the rest of this entry »

Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace is a harvest of creative, redemptive storytelling—nonfiction, fiction, and poetry—spanning five wars and written by those most profoundly affected by it.
For more than fifteen years, National Book Award-winning author Maxine Hong Kingston has led writing-and-meditation workshops for veterans and their families. The contributors to this volume—combat veterans, medics, and others who served in war; gang members, drug users, and victims of domestic violence; draft resisters, deserters, and peace activists—are part of this community of writers working together to heal the trauma of war through art. On Friday, May 25, 2007, Bill [...]
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by Jim Denny

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i is home to some of the most beautiful and sought after birds in the world. From the offshore waters, where graceful seabirds glide on the cool, refreshing trade winds, to the lush ancient forests of the mountains, where colorful endemic honeycreepers reside, Hawai‘i’s birds are wonderfully diverse. Introduced species and long-distance migrants contribute to the splendid assortment. Some island bird species are extremely abundant and [...]
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BUSS LAUGH: Stand Up Poetry From Hawaii
Edited by Lee Tonouchi
Nationally recognized Pidgin author Lee Tonouchi, the "Pidgin Guerilla", presents a varied collection of stand-up poetry reflecting Hawaii's distinct diversity and cultural representation.
"The imagery and ideas in Buss Laugh: Stand Up Poetry From Hawaii really stay with you. What a delight to have a collection of ono poetry from such powerful, unique and witty writers."
- Lee Cataluna, Author of Folks You Meet In Longs
"These poems all say someting honest and impo [...]
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by Tricia Allen
The Polynesian Tattoo Today
by Tricia Allen
Polynesian tattooing has enjoyed a robust revival in recent decades. This compilation of over 200 detailed images presents some of the finest work being done both in the islands and abroad. In addition, 30 of today’s top tattooists are featured, presenting their personal histories and philosophical approaches to their work. Tattooist and historian Tricia Allen’s extensive research, travel, and networks within the Pacific have made this a “must have” for anyone with an interest in tattoo [...]
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Bill Teter, ed.
From the powerful opening words of the Kumulipo to the propulsive rhymes of contemporary slam poetry, Hāpai nā Leo celebrates a diverse range of voices that explore, carry, and regenerate Hawaiian culture. Editor Bill Teter created Hāpai nā Leo as a literary companion to Malcolm Nāea Chun’s historical and philosophical works, the Ka Wana series, published by CRDG, and No Nā Mamo, to be published by University of Hawai‘i Press. This anthology responds to Chun’s work with a wide range of voic [...]
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Be taken on an unforgettable journey of suspense, adventure, mystery and romance in a coming-of-age story about the small town of Kailua, O'ahu in November/December 1941.  Sands of Lanikai takes us back to the days just before December 7 and imagines a spy entering the waters of Kailua Bay.  Will the spy be discovered?  What is his mission?  What impact will his presence have on the opening days of World War II?
As tensions mount towards the inevitability of war, suspicions escalate about who can be trusted and who can't.  As the mys [...]
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FORTHCOMING DECEMBER 2009
Originally serialized in the Hawaiian language newspaper Kuokoa Home Rula from January 1909 to April 1910, this new edition of Ka Mo‘olelo Hiwahiwa o Kawelo presents Ho‘oulumahiehie's text in modernized Hawaiian with notes and an introduction by Native Hawaiian scholar Hiapokeikikane Kichie Perreira.
Ho‘oulumahiehie's telling of the Kawelo story is the longest and most comprehensively written in Hawaiian on this larger-than-life historical figure, fro [...]
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The classic tale of the prophetess of Molokai is back in print for a limited edition. The "bowl of light" parable is featured: “Every child born has at birth, a Bowl of perfect Light. If he tends his Light, it will grow in strength and he can do all things … If, however, he becomes envious or jealous he drops a stone into his bowl of Light, and a little of the Light will go out.… If at any time he tires of being a stone, all he needs to do is huli [turn] the bowl and the stones will all fall away, and the Light will come back and grow once more.” Also covers Read the rest of this entry »

A delightful and intriguing story introducing the shy Cassowary, one of the world's largest endangered birds whose feeding habits help create tropical rain forests for some of the world's oldest, most unusual and most endangered animals. Written in appealing poetic form for children aged 4 to 8 by Tamara Montgomery, with a short post-story section on animals by Jodi Parry Belknap, it is beautifully illustrated by Joseph D. Dodd.
As Cassowary treks through the uplands in New Guinea he dines on colorful fruit—red rambutan, orange pa [...]
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