Hawai‘i Literature & Art
— Since 1978 —
Dear Fellow Lovers of Local Literature: Some of you may recognize my name as a writer whose poems have been published in Bamboo Ridge. However, I am now writing in my capacity as business manager of Bamboo Ridge Press, a position that I have been honored to serve since 1986. On behalf of our nonprofit…
Recently, we launched a new series on our social media entitled Bamboo Ridge Lineage. We asked members of the Bamboo Ridge ‘Ohana who some of their writing influencers are including which books or authors have impacted the way they think about writing craft and literature. For this project, we wanted to highlight the ways in…
Hi I’m Alyssa! I recently joined the Bamboo Ridge team as an intern and have been working with Misty to get content up on our social media pages. Since I’m working at Bamboo Ridge, it pretty much goes without saying that I’m a fan of reading. Like most people, I’ve been observing quarantine / self-isolation…
This weekend is Father’s Day and in celebration, we went looking through the Bamboo Ridge Digital Archive in the UH Repository to find the perfect literary tribute. For all the Dads who mend the scrapes and pick us up when we fall, here’s a short piece from A Small Obligation and Other Stories of Hilo…
As an early standout of our Bamboo Shoots monthly writing contests, many of Scott Kikkawa’s entries were chosen for publication in our annual issues. His dark humor and descriptive scenes made him a captivating favorite at our reading events. When all of his stories eventually made up a novel the editors decided to publish it…
Renshi, linked poetry, is an important part of our Bamboo Ridge identity. Our four renshi poets (Ann Inoshita, Juliet S. Kono, Christy Passion, and Jean Yamasaki Toyama) have collaborated on two books of poetry and have hosted numerous workshops across the islands and in major cities on the Continent. They are always encouraging others to…
2020 feels like something out of an apocalyptic dystopian dime novel. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways and people are feeling more unsure and disconnected than ever before. In the spirit of comfort and community, the Bamboo Ridge ohana wants to encourage everyone to write, to read, and to remember that…
Aloha friends, fellow poets and readers. Let’s celebrate February as ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language) Month. He Au Hou, “a new era” is a 21st century oli (chant). It’s written to be chanted “leo nui -style”, loudly and proudly, from the rooftops, from a canoe, even a mountaintop. Translation provided below its original text for Da…
Aloha mai kākou e Bamboo Ridge readers, February is also known as the Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. The impact of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi covers a broad spectrum of impressions on those who come into contact with it. Ranging from the simple brush of “aloha” and “mahalo”, to those who eat, sleep, cry, chant, think…
It was an exciting Saturday at The Manifest in downtown Honolulu–the perfect day for a book launch. Live music greeted attendees as they arrived and perused the book table and drink menu. There was hardly an empty seat to be found!
