From Classrooms to Community: Donald Carreira Ching’s ‘Blood Work and Other Stories’

Bamboo Ridge Press author inspires young writers and joins community leaders at UH Mānoa

What does it mean for Hawaiʻi students to meet a local author face-to-face? For some, it’s the first time they realize that people from here write books that reflect their own lives. For others, it’s a chance to ask questions, seek advice, and imagine themselves as future writers.

This fall, Hawaiʻi author Donald Carreira Ching has been visiting local high schools to lead writing workshops and share stories from his new collection, Blood Work and Other Stories. At Moanalua and Mililani, students responded with excitement. One student said, “Crazy. I’ve never met someone who wrote a book before.” Others connected deeply with the book itself, from the use of Pidgin to characters that felt close to their own experiences

Reflecting on these visits, Donald said:

“Growing up, I didn’t really know that there were authors from Hawaiʻi that were writing about this place. It took me a while before I found that connection and started to understand that my voice mattered too. So, for me, I’m just trying to do everything I can to get local literature into the schools and support our educators here.”

These school workshops are building momentum toward “Blood Work: Reading and Roundtable,” a free public event at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa presented in collaboration with the UH Creative Writing Department.

Donald will read from Blood Work and join a roundtable discussion with community leaders:

• Della Au Belatti, Hawaiʻi State Representative, District 26
• Aiko Yamashiro, Executive Director, Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities
• Moderated by Craig Howes, Professor of English and Director of the Center for Biographical Research, UH Mānoa

Together, they will explore themes of Hawaiʻi literature, resilience, and urgent issues facing our communities today: cost of living, housing, climate change, sustainable economies, and more. The roundtable will also look at the role of writing and storytelling in fostering connection and understanding.

“Community is central to my work and to this book. That’s what I’m trying to do right now—get local literature out into the community and give back in the ways that I can.”