Hawai‘i Literature & Art
— Since 1978 —
It was 3pm and we were bored. The season was around the corner, and this was going to be one of the last free afternoons we’d have until summer. “Let’s go eat Japanese food,“ Jimmy said, “I want to get out, and I know a place!” Amidst our weak objections we rallied and headed to…
The little girl’s eyes were riveted on the four objects her father placed on the table in front of him. “Potatoes?” she asked. “That’s right, Love Muffin,” said Mr. Lau, placing the four little spuds before him. “For arithmetic, Daddy?” “Ummmhmmm, Kitty Cat, for math. These are what we’re going to use to teach you…
Okay, Lanning, and anybody else who’s still alive out there. Let’s write the usual 100 to 1000. Any kind of poem, story, essay, play, or hybrid style is good. In any language. No translation needed, although providing one might help reach a wider readership. Here are some promos for you to consider, or ignore. Your…
She was a lover who’d found something to love wholeheartedly Everyone knew her as the Bird Lady of Āliamanu Intermediate The school where she taught English for 30 years But she also taught students a lesson In addition to reading and writing Laden with birdcages brought to work faithfully Her car bursting with birdsong as…
Boom. And just like that, June is busting out all over. And weddings, right? Tis the season. So let’s celebrate with pieces that are between 100 and 1000 words. You can write fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction essays, or any hybrid combination experimental genre you choose. We welcome pieces written in the language of your choice….
Somewhere in Vietnam, a deformed child begs for change (an unacknowledged, third generation victim of the spray) A few streets over, an ARVN soldier is turned away from the V.A. (only “freedom fighters” are eligible for benefits, they say) In Can Tho, a tourist takes his first bite of Banh Xeo (pleasantly surprised to find…
I lazily gaze into the same backyard I’ve been gazing into since childhood Feeling like this time’s the first And a deep sense inhabits my being: There was always a place for me here and there always will be I am intimately aware of the bark on the apple tree And the blades of grass…
Ralph says, When I first came here, my Army days, this whole place was kind of a blank canvas. We’re sitting on the wall at Magic Island watching the waves roll in under the setting sun. I’ve known Ralph for 50 years. We met in a philosophy class at the University of Hawai‘i. I know what you mean, I say. It was like…
Okay, Happy May, I hope everybody got lei’d on the 1st. Now that we’re coming into summer, it’s time to start heating up the writing. So without further ado here are possible prompts for May — which you can ignore if you want to write about anything. Pieces in any language other than English are…
My challenge was the Golden Shovel: A newer form, inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks. I took a line from an existing poem and used each word as the end word in my own lines. This is the line from the poem I chose. There is no greater sorrow than to recall our times of joy in…