Echoes of Kapoho

Thank you, Christine Reed of Basically Books of Hilo, Hawaii for hosting a book talk/signing for my new Echoes of Kapoho. The Reed family has hosted all 15 of my books with the first poetry book in 1970. A gratitude of applause to  Big Islanders for shopping local at Basically Books.

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A Reminder: Basically Books in Hilo: Saturday: Nov 9th at 11:30.

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Two coming events

Please pass the following info to caregivers, health professionals or family members living with elders.

Phone reservations necessary for these two free events.

I will also be at Native Books in Honolulu to discuss my children’s books at their Tea and

Talk Story on May 19 from 11 to noon.

 

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Island Memoirs:The Days of Our Youth

Island Memoirs: The Days of Our Youth

 

I have a perfect idea for a Christmas gift(s):

Watermark Publishing of Hawai’i just released Island Memoirs: The Days of Our Youth.

I’m highly honored the book opens and ends with two of my stories –“Eh, You Tink You Haole?” and “Once There was a Kapoho.” But more importantly, sandwiched between my two stories are the true treasures told by the people who have made the news in Hawaii – their first –person coming of age stories in the 20^th century. Be prepared to pick up your own pen to write and preserve your own stories as you laugh, cry, and feel so very deeply about Hawai’i’s history and yours.

Stories are told by:

Don Ho, Ben Cayetano, Tom Moffat, Dan Akaka, Dick Tomey, Eddie Sherman, Walter Dods, Freddie Letuli, Yasushi Kurisu, Fred Hemmings, Roy Kodani, Makia Malo, Sam King, Henry Nalaielua, Gentleman Ed Francis, Ted Tsukiyama and yours truly.

In lieu of royalties, the contributors have agreed that their share of the book sales should be donated to benefit aio Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops empowerment programs for Hawai’i’s youth, including the Kahauiki Village affordable housing community for homeless families.

To order Island Memoirs: priced at $24.95:

A special 30% discount is given to authors and their friends and families if ordered until the end of the year. Use code IMCONTRIB at Watermark’s website. Orders using this code will receive free shipping.

Pre-order on Watermark’s website: www.bookshawaii.net.Or you can give Dawn of Watermark a call at 808-534-7170.

Thank you, folks.

 

 

 

 

 

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New Book Just Released

My new book of poems is now available through my publisher and yours truly. It will be mid October before Amazon and Barnes & Noble will have it available. Best to purchase through my publisher : Dawn@bookshawaii.net or through me. Part of my royalties will go to a scholarship at my alma mater for the 2nd year. Purchases from Watermark support local businesses. To my Hawaii supporters, a February visit is penciled in right now. Thank you in advance, dear friends.

 

 

Hawaii

via

 

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Up-coming Lecture Dates

Drop by and say hello…these are my Fall lecture events:

 

Sat., Sept. 20 at 1:30 pm

Basically Books

160 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo, Hawaii 96720

I will be on a panel with other authors to discuss memoir writing based on Writing the Hawai’i Memoir by Darien Gee

Contact:Christine Reed

808-961-0144, Fax: 808-935-1553

Toll-free: 1-800-903-6277

bbinfo@hawaiiantel.net

www.basicallybooks.com

 

Wed., Sept 24: Hilo Hawaii @ 5 p.m.

The Art of Caregiving…

Hilo Alzheimer’s Association

County Office of Aging: Kinoole St.
Contact: Chris Ridley: 808-443-7360
Mon., Tues., Sept 29 & 30: Honolulu HI

Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society 18th Biennial Conference: Imagine 2030…Mobilizing

Our Communities Across Generations.

My session: The Future of Caregiving: Writing and Poetry to Preserve Our Humanity”

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach
Tues., Oct 7: Honolulu HI

Kapoho, Memoir of a Modern Pompeii

15 Craigside, 3:30pm

Contact: Cookie Nakai: cookie.nakai@15craigside.org

 

Fri., Oct 17: Leeza Gibbons radio Talk Show: Leeza’s Care Connection

Poetry and Caregiving

Time: 10 – 11 a.m.

 

Mon., Nov 17: San Mateo

Kimochi: 453 North San Mateo Dr

Time: 1 – 2:30

Title: I Am Somebody: Dignity in Caregiving

Contact: Liz Bissell (650-346-0849)

 

Tues. Nov 18: San Francisco

San Francisco Family Caregiver Alliance

1715 Buchanan St San Francisco

Title: I Am Somebody: The Art of Caregiving

Contact: Fumiko DiDomizio (425-931-2294) ex.127

 

 2015 ( Details to follow )
Maui

May:

Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development Council. Inc.
Kahului, Maui
Executive Dir: John Tomoso

November:

Maui County Office of Aging

 

 

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Elvis and Me

Monday, May 13, 2013          80.0°F  

How did Elvis and I get on the same page in Wayne Harada’s column, you ask. Well, I did see Elvis  perform in Vegas before he died; he tossed his sweat-drenched handkerchiefs to the audience and I could easily have grabbed one but I didn’t. Now, if  he were Bing Crosby, I would have climbed over heads and bodies. This isn’t about handkerchiefs so read on.

Beloved personal collection of Elvis items will aid MVT
By Wayne Harada
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 12, 2013

 
Disclosure: I’ve been a collector of recorded music for more than 60 years. Imagine walls of shelves and boxes upon boxes on the floor containing vinyl 331⁄3 LPs, 45 rpm singles, cassettes, CDs and videos. To me, this was pure treasure; to my wife, junk that took up a whole bedroom and then some.

 
So clearing out a lifetime of recorded music — whole lotta spending and shaking going on over the decades — has been painful and nostalgic. There were easily 10,000 titles, representing a lifetime of memories and reflecting a soundtrack of my life from the 1950s to the present.

 
Amid the stash, I discovered vintage collectibles and decided to dub a parcel “The <B>Elvis Presley Quartet” to donate as a live-auction bundle for Manoa Valley Theatre’s upcoming Manoa Marquee fundraiser, “Rock ‘n’ Roll is Here to Stay!,” at 5 p.m. May 19 at the Pacific Club. Elvis may not realize it, but proceeds will help MVT continue its tradition of presenting quality stage productions.

 
The package includes:

 
» An autographed photo of The King. Got it when I was in high school. (I still savor another photo, addressed to me.)

 
» A limited-edition “Aloha Elvis” decanter of bourbon (still filled) with Elvis clad in a white jumpsuit and lei. This trophy was created for a USS Arizona Memorial fundraiser (a project he supported), and doubles as a music box that plays “Blue Hawaii.”

 
» Four mint-condition 33 1⁄3 vinyl LPs of Presley’s early best-sellers.

 
» A coffee-table book, “Elvis: A Celebration,” by Mike Evans, DK Publishing.

 
It’s priceless stuff, impossible to merely give away since it represents part of a storied history of listening, collecting, interviewing and reviewing Elvis over the decades. For the right collector of things Elvis, it’s a gold mine.
Are you that collector? If so, call 988-6131 for ticket info — and bring your credit card. …

 
PERSONALITIES: Congrats to isle author Frances Kakugawa; her “Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer!” (Watermark Publishing) won best children’s book laurels at the 20th annual Book Awards Competition sponsored by the Northern California Publishers/Authors group. So all three of her “Wordsworth” books have that gold-seal winner’s decal on the cover. …

 
SMALL WORLD: When Matt Yee was at the Red Carpet Club in Narita, on a layover from Hong Kong/ Macau where he was performing, he overheard on the speaker: “Robert Cazimero, would you please …” Yep, Cazimero constantly visits Asia. Yee just staged his “Divas Live!” show in the Big Apple. …

 
ON BROADWAY: Local theater buffs who remember Kevin Gray, the Broadway actor who portrayed Scar in “The Lion King” in its Honolulu debut six years ago, may be interested in a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Monday at the Majestic Theatre, where “Phantom of the Opera” resides. Gray died Feb. 11; Harold Prince, Craig Schulman, Cris Groenendaal, Rebecca Luker, Hugh Panaro and Dodie Pettit (Gray’s widow) will participate. Share your aloha if you’re in the Big Apple. …

 
SHORTS OF SORTS: Universal is delaying “Jurassic Park 4” filming even though director Colin Trevorrow has been prepping here for the June 24 shooting launch, now on hold. …
Frank De Lima’s Mother’s Day show unfolds twice, at 10:30 a.m. (brunch) and 6 p.m (dinner) today, at Pagoda’s C’est Si Bon. Call 948-8370. …

 
“Rain,” the Beatles experience, debuts Tuesday at Blaisdell Concert Hall. …

 
Society of Seven LV unveils a new show Tuesday at the Outrigger Waikiki’s Main Showroom. On weekends, “Live at the Outrigger” with Augie T and Andy Bumatai launches at 10 p.m. Saturday and repeats Saturdays thereafter. Call 923-7465. …

 
And that’s “Show Biz.” …

 
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at http://www.staradvertiser.com

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Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer! wins Best Children’s Book, 2013

Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer! won two awards last night at the

Northern CA Publishers/Authors 20^th Annual Book Awards Competition dinner event. 

Best Children’s Book of 2013 and third prize in Cover & Design.

It was an honor to received the awards from President Ted Witt and NY  best selling author John

Lescroart.  

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Winners of Wordsworth’s Poe-Tree Contest

Wordsworth’s Poe-TREE Contest Winners

Apr 22

Happy Earth Day, everyone! We are celebrating by announcing the winners of the Wordsworth the Poet “Poe-TREE Contest!”

In the Wordsworth Poe-TREE Contest, students were asked to write a poem celebrating their favorite tree, following the model of Wordsworth the Mouse and his friends in the book Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer! The young mice in the story campaign to save the trees in their community by writing poems reminding all the neighbors about the special qualities of the trees around them.

Poems were judged based on creativity, poetic merit and how well they conveyed what makes the trees special to the students. The six contest winners will receive a copies of each of the three books in the Wordsworth series, a gardening tool kit and a Koa Legacy Tree from the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, donated by Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods.

K-5 Division Winners:

Makayla Rose Molden

Makayla Rose Molden (age 6, Kapolei, Mauka Lani Elementary), untitled

The Mountain Apple tree is yummy to me.
The fruit is up so high to knock it down is a game I try.
I collect the fruit and make apple pie.

Eli Wolfe

Eli Wolfe (age 5, Honolulu, University Laboratory School), “Banyan Tree”

I like to climb the
Banyan tree
at Barwick.
I can climb to
the sky.
You should try it too
someday.
It is so fun.

Grade 6-8 Division:

Cindy Tsou

Min-Hua (Cindy) Tsou (age 11, Kapolei, Kapolei Middle School), “Red Maple Tree (Acer rubrum)”

A bright, scarlet leaf blew by.
A red lobed leaf fall and fly.
It can be red, yellow and even green.
Red maple trees makes a beautiful scene.
It grows in the north, with it’s flower blooming back and forth.
A red maple tree brings red, bright shines.
A red maple is of course, very fine.

Emerson Goo

Emerson Goo (age 12, Honolulu, Niu Valley Middle School), “Forest Guardians”

Sentinels at watch
Forest guardians holding
Treasured memories

Grade 9-12 Division:

Sophie Corless

Sophie Corless (age 15, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Northern Highlands Regional High School), “The Lemon Tree”

The cool sticky air clings to me;
my bare feet squelch in the grass
just after the rain shower.
The lemon tree stands in the back corner
towering over the garden, and has a prevailing presence.
Under the tree lies my step ladder,
with my initials carved in the leg.
The wicker basket dangles
on a tiny branch at my height.
I have my technique down,
twist and snap over and over again.
Even the bees and ants are fixated on my movements,
their fragile wings and tiny legs
seem to stop to observe.
Little droplets collect in the pores of the rind,
making my hand cool,
droplets of lemon juice ooze through the pores
and run down my hand to my wrist and to my elbow,
stopping and then dripping off.
By the end I am covered in a mixture of rain and lemon,
dried and sticky.
With every lemon I snap off,
the branch snaps back and sprinkles me with rain.
I swear I hear my sweltering forehead
sizzle against the cool droplets.
In the kitchen I squeeze every last lemon,
popping the juice into the pitcher with the yellow flowers,
along with a fistful of sugar and a splash of water.
I crack the ice tray in half, scooping out the cubes.
The first sip makes my face contort
into an uncomfortable position,
one you can’t avoid,
but the last is always the sweetest.

Zoe Edelman Brier

Zoe Edelman Brier (age 18, Allendale, New Jersey, Northern Highlands Regional High School), “Veins of Color”

I remember maple Leaf picking
with my father before the bus
came to ship me off
to a grey school building
with a grey blacktop
and grey windows.
The colors of the Leaves
were brighter than anything
I’d ever seen, standing out
against the blah of morning.
even through fog,
the Leaves shown like bright beacons
of change and hope for the future.
the Leaves would vein and crinkle
in red and orange and yellow,
mixing in a thin canvas.
My father would sit me on his shoulders
and have me reach the highest branch
possible to get the best Leaf
to press in a book that I still have
12 years later, the colors frozen in time,
unbrowned and delicate, red stains
clashing with the dark green of Leaf.

 

Congratulations to all our winners and to all the poets who entered our contest. Wordsworth’s message to you all: Don ‘t stop writing poems and continue to save our trees.  Give your favorite tree a hug!

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Wordsworth Book Signing

   Book Signing for Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

1 P.M.

Barnes & Noble

6111 Sunrise Blvd

Citrus Heights, CA

Ph: 916-853-1389

It would be sooo embarrassing if no one came…..

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