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Mark your calendars! Award winning authors, Wendy Miyake and Michael Little will be hosting a free writer’s workshop at Aina Haina Public Library on Saturday, September 13th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Both will briefly discuss their individual writing and publishing experiences but will also host a workshop on creating successful short stories.
Wendy and Michael were both winners in HONOLULU Magazine’s Fiction Contest and they have both been published in issues of BAMBOO RIDGE, Journal of Hawai’i Literature and Arts. Their creative experience combined should be a worthwhile learning experience for any aspiring author.
Wendy Miyake has published a collection of short stories called Beads, Boys and the Buddha and most recently a semi-autobiographical novel, The Bodhisattva Club. Her stories are humorous and culturally enlightening tales with universal appeal. Her books and stories have been praised for encouraging diversity.
Michael Little is President of the Romance Writers of America Aloha Chapter and the author of several books and short stories including “Seven Ways to Tell If You Married a Cosmo Girl” which appears in the latest Bamboo Ridge collection, issue 91.
This workshop is sponsored by The Hawaii State Public Library System and The Romance Writer’s of America Aloha Chapter at www.rwaaloha.org.
“Writing Short Stories”
FREE Fiction Writers Workshop
Hosted by Wendy Miyake and Michael Little
Saturday, Sept. 13th 10:00-12:00
posted by M.L. Sanico
Speaking of airlines, and overwhelming travel costs, my family and I decided on a Waikiki “stay-cation” for a long weekend off. The recent specials and kama’aina rates inspired us to revisit old stomping grounds and check out the changes to Waikiki’s landmark locations… some of which we, sadly, have not visited in years!
Just two weeks ago, I serendipitously came across an interesting book on walking tours of Waikiki. Waikiki: Nine Walks Through Time is a brochure sized, spiral bound book, mapping out various “walks” through Waikiki. The trails are varying lengths, so you can do a short walk or something broader to the area, and each trail is different so you never see the same thing twice. My family and I particularly enjoyed the trail outlined along the Ala Wai, it was perfect for an evening stroll–it wasn’t too long, and we were away from the hustle of Kalakaua Avenue.
The great thing about this book, even for local residents, is that it is chock full of history and facts about almost every street and building in the Waikiki area. I learned things that I never knew and I’ve passed these streets and buildings a thousand times! The book includes old pictures so you can see the difference between then and now, short mini-bios of people who influenced the area, and the roles that certain places played in pop cultures past. Learning new things about the places we see everyday was fun for my whole family and prompted many discussions. The most valuable of which were my parent’s memories of how Waikiki used to be… a plate-lunch place here, a novelty store there, swimming at the Natatorium. It was great to hear their stories and feel the presence of the past through their words.
The experience was worth far more than the twelve dollars it cost to buy the book and we plan on using it again for the other eight trails outlined. Some trails take you through Waikiki’s most famous and recognizable landmarks, so the book is ideal for visitors as well. It’s a fantastic alternative for anyone who wants to see a few local and historic sites, get a little exercise, and have fun without spending a ton of money.
If you’d like to peruse other resources for walking tours of Waikiki, I suggest visiting this website. However, the different points of interest highlighted are not as many and not nearly as detailed as those in this book.
On the subject of walking tours, historic or otherwise, Downtown Honolulu is also a popular bet (especially for architecture). Click here to see a special insert that the Star Bulletin did on historic downtown buildings.
Happy trails!
The culture of aviation has strong ties to Hawaii. Being an island chain isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, air transportation becomes a necessity towards our way of life and Hawaii has served as the fertile soil for the birth of many unique air carriers. Whether through our strong dependence on tourism, visiting relatives on the neighbor islands, or shipping goods throughout the state, our native airlines not only provide us with a vital service but are a part of our culture, our family and our livelihood. Peter N. Forman’s Wings of Paradise: Hawaii’s Incomparable Airlines is the story of these homegrown airlines and the competitive world of the airline business. Of course, you can’t talk about airlines in Hawaii without mentioning the big two: Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines. This is mostly their story, but it’s also the story of the numerous upstarts who challenged their dominance and the many other local commuters who served smaller, niche services and became local institutions in their own right.
The first few chapters were my favorite. They told the story of a young man in the steamship business who had a vision that air travel would be the way of the future. This vision became Inter-Island Airways, the predecessor to Hawaiian Airlines. It was fascinating reading about how they pioneered the concept of commercial aviation between the islands. Air travel was not common back then, so Inter-Island Airways had to slowly gain the public’s trust such as initiating service with amphibious planes which eased the minds of passengers who feared of going down over the water. Occurrences such as a volcano eruption could save you from a financial lull, as passenger counts dramatically rose making airlines scramble to offer customers aerial tours of the volcanic scene. The chapter on World War II is an exciting read, as you get to experience the attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent implementation of martial law through the civilian eyes of Hawaii’s first airline.
As a former employee of Aloha Airlines, and one who is interested in the history of Hawaii as seen through the blue skies above us, Wings of Paradise provided me with a lot of insight and interesting material. I was tickled to find that the street I drive down to work every morning is named after famed Hawaiian Airlines pioneer, “Captain Sam” Elliot. Or that Kahului Airport’s funky three-letter abbreviation, OGG, was named after Hawaiian chief pilot, Jim Hogg, who aided the FAA in certifying VOR navigational aids by flying tedious routings at Maui. Naturally I loved reading about the rise of “the people’s airline” as Rudy Tongg started up Trans-Pacific Airlines as a business where local people and Asian workers could feel more at home and provide the people of Hawaii with a distinctly fresh product. Soon, this airline would become known for its friendly spirit as Aloha Airlines. From this point, the book becomes a study of the airline industry as Aloha and Hawaiian engage in cutthroat competition in order to gain market share through price wars, branding, service, marketing and the powerful sway of introducing new aircraft to the fleet. They did not fight alone, as the book details the numerous upstarts who challenged the “big two” by using a low-cost model to compete with lower prices.
Unfortunately, the unwritten epilogue of this story is a sad one. Aloha Airlines closed down its operation on March 31, 2008 after 61 years of service. Finally, one of the “upstart” airlines, backed up with financial clout from Arizona, was able to come and help write the final chapter in this long saga. But knowing the ending to this 61 year old dogfight should not prevent you from picking up this book.
Obviously, this is a must-read for anybody into aviation as it provides a wonderful story of our unique aviation history. It is also a great study into the world of business and economics, as both Hawaiian, Aloha and the rest employed numerous business strategies often with dramatic results. Finally, it provides a nice snapshot of Hawai’i throughout the 20th century seen through the lens of her native airlines. Wings of Paradise is easy to read and even those who are unfamiliar with the technical aspects will soon understand all the nuances of each airline’s fleet with the descriptive storytelling that Forman peppers throughout the book. Much of the book is told through entertaining and insightful anecdotes collected from former pilots and employees and it is these stories that propel the book forward and provide you with substantial examples that put you in the middle of the flight deck. For these treasures alone, Wings of Paradise is definitely worth a read!
I did a preliminary search for different book titles/authors from Hawaii and was delighted to see many of them pop up. I was very interested in learning about which books from Hawaii resonated with people and what they liked about them. It’s also great to see real reader feedback, and not a journalistic review on many of the books. That kind of input is valuable for those with so many books and so little time!
Keynote speakers Ralph Fletcher and Barry Moser were present throughout the entire conference holding special writing and illustration sessions for adults and teens. Ralph Fletcher is an author and educator from the mainland, and Barry Moser is an author and illustrator who also operates his own printing press.
I was only able to attend the Friday sessions, or the beginning half of the conference since I had a book sale to checkout the next day but I was sad to miss the rest of it. Ralph Fletcher’s keynote speech was interactive and illuminating and you could tell he cares deeply about encouraging children to write, and helping adults write for children. If you visit his website, he even provides children with his email address so they can contact him directly with any questions or ideas they have. He charmingly began his keynote speech by sharing some of his favorite emails with us.
He also briefly commented on the oral traditions of Hawaii, and about how ‘talking story’ is such a big part of local culture. He further explained that many of his interesting story ideas come from things that happen in ordinary life, and that writing them and sharing them is a lot like ‘talking story’. Later, he provided handouts of the first draft manuscript for Hello Harvest Moon and we examined the differences between that and the final version, as well as his email from the editor. It was a great example of the process of publication.
Some of the short sessions I participated in afterward:
By far the most exciting session I attended, especially in relation to this blog, was the Literary Map session hosted by Helen Slaughter, a UH professor. She has founded an organization dedicated to mapping Hawai’i’s literature as a reference for teachers, students and parents to help promote literacy and give people a better idea of what stories are out there and where they come from. It would be an organic kind of reading list, interactive and personal because it gives stories and authors a sense of place…makes them even more relatable and a part of the community. After hearing her speak and learning about some of her goals for the literary map of Hawai’i, I cannot help but be excited and optimistic about the future of Hawai’i’s books. I am definitely looking forward to the next conference in 2010!
Controversy aside, this book is absolutely enchanting! Read about the monarchy, Hawaiian government, society and culture–all through the eyes of a queen who lovingly describes her land and people with inspiring detail. This book reminded me of a regency novel, similar to Jane Austens popular stories of Edwardian life, only more heartwrenching because of the real life political turbulence that provides the conflict of her story. It has the same vibrance and grace but with an underlying sadness in its language and imagery.
Perhaps the greatest testament to her skills as a writer and to her unique voice, is the honor of being recognized as one of history’s greatest female authors. You can read an electronic version of Hawai’i’s Story by Hawai’i’s Queen at the site below, A Celebration of Women Writers. She is in great company there.
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/liliuokalani/hawaii/hawaii.html
If you’re interested in learning more about how the book itself was written, and why her authorship has been debated, the following essay is a great place to start. It was written by a University of Hawaii professor who studied Queen Lili’uokalani’s diaries extensively. Queen Lili’uokalani kept several diaries from 1896 through 1897. These diaries, along with her memories of childhood, were used to compile the manuscript for her book.
This is the mother of all used book sales, and if you’ve never been to one of these hosted by the ‘Friends of the Library’ then you’re in for a treat. For one whole week they fill (and refill) the entire cafeteria with used and out of circulation books! All the books are priced at a steal, some of them rare and out of print, some of them brand new– either way it’s a deal.
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