Home - Bamboo Ridge Press

"Full of wisdom and insights earned from a life of paying attention...”

Bamboo Ridge Issue #125 is a collection of historical poems by Wing Tek Lum. It imagines life in Honolulu Chinatown circa 1900 and gives voice to the forgotten pioneer generation of sojourners and settlers, detailing the trials and temptations of this bachelor society living far from their homeland—their hard work, their diversions, their challenges, and, even amidst the notorious plague and fire, their perseverance.

Purchase Subscribe

"Editing the 45th anniversary issue is not so much looking back but looking forward, really."

Bamboo Ridge Issue #124 features poems and stories that explore themes of cultural identity, art, resistance, and community. It’s a collection that honors the resilience of local storytelling and Hawaiʻi’s literary spirit, reaffirming Bamboo Ridge’s commitment to foster, embrace, and preserve AANHPI voices. With over 400 pages, Issue #124 is one of the largest in the press’s history.

Purchase Subscribe

"...noir from a never-seen-before perspective."

1954 brings big changes and challenges for Detective Sergeant Francis “The Sheik” Yoshikawa who finds himself a reluctant stand-in bagman, extracting protection money from gambling and brothel racketeers.

CHAR SIU is the third book in Scott Kikkawa's Hawaiʻi Noir series.

Purchase Subscribe

"Aloha Shorts was always, first and foremost, a way to showcase Hawai‘i’s talented writers, actors, and musicians."

The audio recordings from this popular former radio show, a joint project between Bamboo Ridge Press and Hawaiʻi Public Radio, are available in a Best of Aloha Shorts playlist.

Listen now Buy the book

"A collection that goes beyond science-fiction and fantasy into a new realm of speculative work.."

Thoughtfully curated and arranged to amplify each piece within a larger reading experience, SNARING NEW SUNS is a special anthology that experiments with form and mixes genres to include stories and poetry of the supernatural, alternate reality, climate fiction, and more. Plus, art, graphic stories, nonfiction, and even a stage play.

Purchase Subscribe

"...theatre is a collaborative art. Many artists contribute to giving it life; a play is much more than words on a page."

FLOWERS OF HAWAI‘I (Bamboo Ridge: Journal of Hawai‘i Literature and Arts, Issue #121) features scripts and photos from four plays written and produced in the last dozen years that capture various aspects of Hawai‘i life and culture infused with Cataluna’s unique brand of humor and style.

Purchase Subscribe

Go Try Play Write

Monthly writing contest in partnership with Kumu Kahua

For this contest, go try play write a 5-page monologue or 10-page scene based on a given prompt; the due date for submissions will always be the last day of the month. All entries must be written in traditional play format (instructions on this format can be found online here). Click here for this month's prompt and more info!

Scott Kikkawa’s Hawaiʻi Noir

Mahalo to amazing author Megan Kamalei Kakimoto for her recent article “Read Your Way Around Hawaii” in The New York Times. We deeply appreciate her support in sharing the books and literary voices of Hawaiʻi’s communities.

Scott Kikkawa is one of those unique authors we’d love the world to know more about! Click below to check out his books, or read this hilarious interview where Scott answers some questions on behalf of his main character.

Kikkawa's Hawaiʻi Noir Books

Wing Tek Lum’s poems inspired by history, read in places of history and more.

We’re excited to continue our celebrations for The Oldtimers (Issue #125). Poet Wing Tek Lum has a lot of great events coming up, including one in historic Chinatown Honolulu with the Downtown Art Center, and another at Hawaiʻi’s Plantation Village; an immersive reading in a setting with a period backdrop that enhances the vivid imagery of Lum’s poems.

HBMF 2024 was Mayyyjah

For those who remember the pre-pandemic Hawaiʻi Book & Music Festival, this year marked a full return to this beloved in-person event. For thomas iannucci—writer, rapper, and BR contributor—it was his first foray into the chaos and joy of HBMF. He liked it so much that he wanted to share a bit about his day. Check it out and let us know in the comments what your favorite part of the festival was!

Also, mayjah mahalos to the volunteers who helped run the BR book table and tent!

Mayjah recap!

Issue #126 coming in November

Hooray! The latest Bamboo Ridge, Issue #126 guest edited by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, is at the printer.

To preorder this issue consider subscribing and save on shipping!

subscribe today

MORE ISSUES add to the free access BR Digital Archive

Four more out-of-print books have been added to our digital archive and are now free to read and download as ePubs! Mahalo to author Jean Yamasaki Toyama, Normie Salvador (BR associate managing editor and our very own lit-investigator), and Sunny Pai, digital librarian at Kapiʻolani Community College for their stewardship of this project.

Aurite!

NEW sound clips and transcripts added to the BR Oral History.

All sessions of the interviews with Eric Chock and Darrell Lum are now up on the BR Oral History page! And bonus, there are full transcripts and sound clips for Wing Tek Lum and Juliet S. Kono too.

This Way

A feature from our 45th anniversary issue

(boy) a story from two perspectives

When we found out that one of the short stories in Issue #124 had a companion piece told from the perspective of another character, our curiosity was peaked. Then when we found out it was recorded as a spoken word poem set to music… we knew we had to experience it!

We’re so honored to feature the work of thomas iannucci here and hope you enjoy this extended excerpt from “boy, a love letter” along with the recording of the story told from the perspective of boy’s father.

Read & listen

Donate Subscribe Buy Books