Check it out:

My new friend, Wordsworth the Poet is now on Facebook!  Do you know the story of the mouse who expresses his creative juices through the art of poetry?  Have you ever heard the story of Wordsworth as told by Frances H. Kakugawa, or read the emotional tale of Wordsworth and his grandmother in Wordsworth Dances the Waltz? If you have and you’ve enjoyed his stories (and lyrical constructions) then you should definitely become a fan!  Wordsworth is currently looking for friends from every state in the USA.  He already has a friend in Alaska, so if you know anybody in the contiguous 48 who enjoys stanza-producing rodents, then tell them to check out Wordsworth’s Facebook page.

Are you a middle school student (grades 6-8) or have a child in middle school that enjoys writing?  Then check out the Hawaii Conservation Alliance for the annual My Hawai’i Story Project 2010.  For the past three years the “My Hawai‘i” Story Project, a middle school (6th-8th grade) environmental writing contest, has touched the lives of nearly 2,000 students throughout the state. The 25 poems, essays, and stories published in each year’s anthology engage the reader with inspiring, thoughtful, and diverse narratives.  Deadline for entries is March 11 at 5pm HST with winners to be announced on May 3rd.

Now on to the events:

Friday, February 5

• 10:00am – The “Biggest Book Sale” at Lihue Public Library from 10am – 4pm.  The Friends of Lihu‘e Library Spring Used Book Sale will feature thousands of printed volumes on an array of topics as well as selections of CDs, DVDs and video and audio tapes, states a release from the library.  More Info
• 07:00pm – Meet Clark Little, surf photographer and author of The Shorebreak Art of Clark Little at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Art Auditorium.  Clark will have a 30-minute presentation that includes slideshow segments of North Shore waves set to music, in-water video footage of Clark capturing his images, older footage of Clark surfing Waimea Bay shorebreak, and insight from Clark on how he captures his stunning images. Q&A and book signing follows the presentation.  More info

Saturday, February 6

• 09:00am – The Friends of the Library, Kona (FOLK) will hold its next Book Sale on the lanai of the Kailua-Kona Library from 9am – 1pm.  Funds from sales help support the needs of Kona libraries.  More info
• 10:00am – It’s the first Saturday of the month, which means Bill’s Bookmobile will be open until 2pm.  Specials include: half price children’s books, cookbooks and hobbies books.  Romance novels and videos will be $5.00 per bag.  More info.
• 10:00am – The “Biggest Book Sale” at Lihue Public Library from 10am – 4pm.  The Friends of Lihu‘e Library Spring Used Book Sale will feature thousands of printed volumes on an array of topics as well as selections of CDs, DVDs and video and audio tapes, states a release from the library.  More Info
• 10:30am – Kapolei Public Library to host a workshop with the Romance Writers of America, Aloha Chapter.  Lynde Lakes, Leslee Ellenson, and Michael Little will talk about writing first chapters, read excerpts from their published works and works in progress, and invite questions. Visitors welcome!  More Info & Library page
• 11:00am – Valentine’s Day Storytime at Barnes & Noble Kahala Mall, Ala Moana and Lahaina.  Bring your lovebugs to our store for a special Storytime featuring The Legend of Lyla the Lovesick Ladybug and Valentine’s Day activities.  More info
• 11:00am – Book Signing event with Arnold Hiura, author of Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands at Borders Bookstore in Windward Mall.  More info
• 11:45am – “How to Start a Home Business,” a free informational program for adults, will be offered at the Hawaii State Library in the First Floor Reading Room.  More info
• 12:00pm – Adult Literacy Tutor Program Orientation at the Waipahu Civic Center by Waipahu Library.  Learn to be a one-on-one tutor. Call 537-6706 to register.
• 02:00pm – Percy Jackson Movie Release Party at Borders across the State (Ward Centre, Waikele, Pearlridge, Kaneohe, Kahului…)  Celebrate all things Percy Jackson with Borders at this very special Movie Release Party! Fans ages 7 to 14 will have a great time participating in Olympian Games, a Demi-God Debate, Percy trivia and more!  More Info
• 02:00pm – Book Signing event with Arnold Hiura, author of Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands at Borders Bookstore in Waikele.  More info
• 02:30pm – Best-selling Author Clear Englebert will Present ‘Hawaiian Feng Shui’ at Mililani Public Library. Englebert, author of Feng Shui for Hawaii (Watermark Publishing, 2008) will explain the different kinds of feng shui, the ancient Chinese system of placement and much more.  More info
• 03:00pm – Special Valentine Event with the author of the new book, In Love: Celebrating the Seasons of Intimate Relationship. Bring your special valentine to Basically Books on Saturday, February 6^th for a special Valentine’s event with poet Jack Adam Weber!  More Info
• 06:00pm – Free Talk: “Living with Whales Down Under” at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa’s Lokelani Ballroom in Wailea.  Noted author of four books about whales, Greg Kaufman will give a dynamic multi-media presentation with book signing to follow.  More info

Sunday, February 7

• 10:00am – The “Biggest Book Sale” at Lihue Public Library from 10am – 2pm.  The Friends of Lihu‘e Library Spring Used Book Sale will feature thousands of printed volumes on an array of topics as well as selections of CDs, DVDs and video and audio tapes, states a release from the library.  More Info
• 10:0am – The Rev. Dr. Ruth L. Miller, author of “Unveiling Your Hidden Power” and interpreter of “The Master Key” and “The Science of Getting Rich,” will be speaking about “Discovering the Wisewoman Within” at the New Thought Center, Kealakekua, HI.  More info
• 02:30pm – Best-selling Author Clear Englebert will Present ‘Hawaiian Feng Shui’ at Kaneohe Public Library. Englebert, author of Feng Shui for Hawaii (Watermark Publishing, 2008) will explain the different kinds of feng shui, the ancient Chinese system of placement and much more.  More info
• 06:45pm – Super Women on Super Bowl Sunday!  Aloha Shorts records shows in honor of Women’s Stories at its next live taping on Sunday, February 7, in HPR’s intimate Atherton Performing Arts Studio. To reserve a seat at this frequently “sold-out” event, call the station during business hours at 955-8821. More info

Remember, all events listed above may be subject to change.  Please contact the venue beforehand if you plan on attending.  More events can be found on our Hawaii Book Blog Calendar.

If you have an event you would like us to help promote, please leave us a comment here or e-mail me at aalba@hawaiibookblog[dot]com.  Replace the [dot] with a ‘.’ when you compose the message.  Mahalo and have a great weekend!

Photo credit: Booklines Hawaii, Hawaii Conservation Alliance

One of the books recommended to us by Manoa Library Branch Manager Christel Collins, as part of our Library Tour Challenge, is the latest historic composition of Gavan Daws. Wayfinding Through the Storm (Watermark, 2009) is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read.  With the subtitle “Speaking Truth to Power at Kamehameha Schools 1993-1999″, Wayfinding Through the Storm is a compilation of 150 individual accounts of the controversy surrounding Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE) Trustees during the greater part of the 90’s. It was a dark time, when Pauahi’s benevolent legacy was thrust into the national limelight. The voices and perspectives of the people who lived through those tense years, seamlessly and meticulously organized by Daws, convey the events that made up the saddest decade in the history of Kamehameha Schools.

It’s an extraordinary piece of non-fiction because the basic story of what went down is being told by 150 people, records and court transcripts, as if it were one narrative. It takes a little while to get used to the idea that you’re reading separate pieces of dialogue one after the other; they somehow all make sense, and you can follow what everyone is saying as if the story were being told to you by one person. It’s unlike any work of history I’ve read before and I think it’s genius! Imagine asking 150 people to tell you the same story… then taking what everyone says, mashing it together and telling the story again. What a way to learn history!

The book itself is broken up into chapters, each one detailing how the expansion of education, language and cultural exchange were suffocated by the imbalance and abuse of power between KSBE Trustees. Although I am not an alumnus of Kamehameha, I was still interested in reading about what happened through the words of the people who experienced it. Reading about the progressive ideas of the Kamehameha faculty and staff, and the hard work they put into bringing these ideas into fruition for the benefit of Hawaiians, our children, our kupuna and our future (extended education programs, a Hawaiian cultural center, expanded language programs)–only to have those opportunities squandered and those ideas squashed by self-interested oppressors, was truly saddening. It’s like watching the movie “Glory”… that feeling you get when you see people being treated unfairly. I had to constantly keep from shouting “but that’s not fair! (and yes, the word “meanie” was mentioned several times on my behalf in regard to Lokelani Lindsey). Yet, the book is still hopeful of the future because it was an important lesson learned. Beadie Dawson’s quote on the back of the book summarizes it perfectly, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

This book is an inspiration. First obviously, in that we should always question totalitarian ideals, second, that people can unite and be heard, and third, that history can be learned and told in interesting ways. Wayfinding should be read by everyone, not just people with an interest in KSBE or Hawaiian history. It may seem like a niche subject but the theme is universal and I have to take this moment to congratulate the publishers at Watermark. They continuously produce well-made, provocative books. Not just those that are guaranteed to sell, with proven markets based on current trends or because tourists will buy them… but because they’re important stories that deserve to be told.

Michelle Cruz Skinner’s In the Company of Strangers (Bamboo Ridge, 2009) is the book of the month in February for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH) Book Club. 

Skinner’s book, a collection of short stories published by Bamboo Ridge Press in 2009, will be discussed by the author on “Thinking Out Loud,” a radio-call in program hosted by Willa Tanabe on Monday, February 22, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM on KZOO 1210 AM. To join the discussion: call (808) 941-5966 or email jcch@am1210kzoo.com.

Check it out: BeachHouse Publishing is the first Hawaii publisher to bring you local children’s books available on your iPhone and iPod Touch, produced locally in Hawai’i by Bluewater Media.  In addition to the colorful, whimsical illustrations and text in the printed book, the ibeachhouse books are narrated and animated so children can enjoy the book on a whole new level in English or Hawaiian.

Their first book, currently available at the iTunes store is Diving for Colors in Hawai’i.  For more information check out the BeachHouse Publishing web site.

Don’t Forget: You have only two days left to go to the library and enter your haiku about tofu for a chance to win a family package to Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawaii or runner-up prizes from Aloha Tofu. For ages 7–17. Kapolei Public Library, 1020 Manawai St.: Deadline expires Saturday, 1/30. 693-7050.

Now on to the events:

Friday, January 29

• 09:00am – Library Book Sale at Wahiawa Public Library from 9am to 3pm.  Used books, CDs and videotapes will be on sale at bargain prices. Come early for the best selection.  For more information, please call the Library at 622-6345.
• 10:30am – At Princeville Public Library (Kauai):  Honolulu Theater for Youth presents “Keiko and Louie: Best Best Friends (Mostly)”  Created by Daniel A. Kelin, HTY’s Director of Drama Education, this 30-minute interactive program uses humor, movement, and participation to engage young audiences directly in the performance.  More Info
• 06:00pm – A book signing and public lecture featuring Allan Winkler, author of To Everything There is a Season:  Pete Seeger and the Power of Song (2009), Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America (2006), and Home Front, U.S.A.:  America During World War II (2000).  More Info

Saturday, January 30

• 10:00am – Every Saturday is Children’s Storytime at Barnes & Noble Lahaina (Maui).  More Info
• 11:00am – It’s Children’s Storytime at Barnes & Noble Ala Moana, reading Creaky Old House by Linda Ashman.  More Info
• 01:00pm – Book Signing event at Borders Pearlridge.  Arnold Hiura signs his book Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands.
• 01:00pm – Book Signing event at Barnes & Noble Kahala.  David Heenan will be signing copies of his new book Bright Triumphs from Dark Hours.  More Info
• 01:00pm – Author Event at Kona Stories Bookstore (Big Island).  Harry Uhane Jim will talk story about his Laulima work and sign copies of his book Wise Secrets of Aloha.  More Info

Remember, all events listed above may be subject to change.  Please contact the venue beforehand if you plan on attending.  More events can be found on our Hawaii Book Blog Calendar.

If you have an event you would like us to help promote, please leave us a comment here or e-mail me at aalba@hawaiibookblog[dot]com.  Replace the [dot] with a ‘.’ when you compose the message.  Mahalo and have a great weekend!

Photo credit: BeachHouse Publishing

We recently reviewed mythology surrounding the legend of Maui (see “Book Review- How Maui Slowed the Sun”).  Let’s stay with the Valley Isle and focus on its culinary delights and local cuisine.  One of the most enjoyable aspects of visiting a new place is trying out the local dining scene.  When we are in an area that we rarely travel to such as Hawaii Kai or Kailua, Misty and I will make an effort to eat somewhere unique to that locale.

Keeping that in mind, the Maui traveler—whether kama’aina or tourist—should consider checking out the new book Top Maui Restaurants 2010 (Maui Media) by James and Molly Jacobson.  James and Molly have spent the last five years together eating their way across the breadth of Maui.  Immediately from the start, the one thing that they hammer into your conscience is that Top Maui Restaurants 2010 is not just another dining guide, it’s a dining review.  Written by this duo, these “food-obsessed home chefs” make the case that they have grown up around family chefs, studied the art of cooking intently and traveled all over the world eating in the best restaurants, providing them with the culinary resume that gives this book an air of professional legitimacy.

The alphabetical reviews include detailed anecdotes of their dining experiences, supplemented with a five-star rating system that spans five categories:  Food, Ambiance, Service, Value and Love—the latter reflecting the immeasurable feeling of genuine care put into food preparation.  Each review also includes a handy icon guide that alerts you to a restaurant’s relative cost as well as its amenities such as providing vegetarian options, being on the water or having a children’s menu, to name a few.

The best part of the book are the sections after the reviews.  “Top Maui Tips” provides you with a crash course on the ins and outs of Maui, including how to eat local, where to spend special nights, food related activities, different local fish and local culinary definitions and even non-food related advice such as where to see shows and movies, the value of certain scenic spots, and how bad traffic can be.

After this (and the long-winded, yet informative “Sponsors” section) they provide a great breakdown of the restaurants reviewed.  I find it a bit more useful to use their “Ten Meals on Maui” list to help me decide the best places to go.  They also do a great job of splitting up the entire list of restaurants again into three sections: by Food Craving (“man, I like Hawaiian food”), by Location (“I’m in Hana, what can I eat?”) and by Budget (“I need to stretch this $10 into something good”).

What sets this book apart from other food guides and reviews is the enthusiasm and detail these food lovers put into their review guide.  Reading Top Maui Restaurants 2010 gives me the feeling that I’m hanging out with Maui folk who know exactly where to go if I want to find some grinds or take a lady out to a nice dinner.  The next time I end up on Maui, I will rest assured that I’ll know where to eat with this book.

Don’t forget to visit their blog:  http://www.MauiRestaurantsBlog.com, where they keep their readers up to date on their latest food adventures, share recipes and alert everyone to changes in Maui’s volatile restaurant scene.

Disclaimer:  I received a free PDF copy of Top Maui Restaurants 2010 provided by Maui Media for review purposes.  Maui Media or any related affiliates had no input in the content of this review.

Artist and author Monika Mira recently sent us a copy of the latest edition of The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book (Lucid Publishing) now printed on recycled paper! As a long time diver and artist, Mira put a lot of love and knowledge into making this book and it really shows. What a fun way to encourage people to take care of our oceans and reefs while simultaneously teaching about native ecology and the wondrous species of fish that populate our waters. Each illustration includes a full description of the fish, it’s coloration, feeding and mating habits, and so much more including Hawaiian names.

Filled with fun facts and detailed pictures waiting to be colored, this would be a great companion to any reef walk. An excellent resource for educators, parents, and ocean enthusiasts alike; children and adults will enjoy exploring the reef through Mira’s wonderful coloring book. Plus, this eco-friendly version is recommended by the Save Our Seas organization. You can check out the book’s webpage to learn more and print out coloring page samples!

I brought the book to work with me so I could peruse it throughout the day and everyone who came to my desk picked it up and said “hey, this is cool”. I barely had a chance to look at it since it was being passed around so much. After lunch I decided to read it in depth and as I saw some of my favorites like the Porcupine Fish, I could only grumble at myself for neglecting to bring along some colored pencils. Though, I am sure if I had, my co-workers would be busily coloring instead of working.

Happy Aloha Friday everyone!  We here at Hawaii Book Blog hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Here on Book End, we provide you with a list of the weekend’s literary/library events for you to decide.

Don’t forget to check out our new Calendar which expands upon our Book End by listing literary events on the weekdays and weeks in advance as they come to my attention.  I’ve been meaning to do one since before last summer, but wanted to find a calendar application that satisfied all of my preferences.  Finally, in lieu of pushing forward with the new template, I decided to run with Google’s due to the simplicity. 

Having the calendar will be a huge help for me to keep track of all the events that pop up on a day to day basis.  That way I can properly promote them through tweets, posts and messages.

Now, on to the weekend!

Saturday, Jan. 23

• 10:30am – “Goin’ Buggy” a free puppet performance at McCully-Moiliili Public Library.  Goin’ Buggy is a multicultural feast using stories from Africa, Mexico, and Native America. This interactive story adventure emphasizes the value of respect for oneself and others.  More info
• 10:30am - Valentine’s Day Card Workshop at Kapolei Public Library.  Local crafter Arnheidur will conduct this free one-hour workshop and teach participants how to create a total of three cards.  More info
• 11:00am – It’s Storytime at Barnes & Noble Ala Moana.  Hold your noses kids, there will be a reading of Walter, the Farting Dog.  More info
• 01:00pm – “How To Start A Home Business” at Hawaii Kai Public Library.  Jim Haley will present information and explain how to set up a home business in Hawaii. Learn what resources are needed and where to find them.
• 02:00pm – Author signing event at Borders in Ward Centre.  David Heenan will be on hand to sign copies of his book Bright Triumphs From Dark Hours: Turning Adversity Into Success. More info
• 05:00pm – Book signing event with author Ann Wright and her book Dissent: Voices of Conscienceat Barnes & Noble Lahaina, Gateway Mall (Maui).  Info

Sunday, Jan. 24

• 10:00am- The Twinklings Twilight Book Group at Barnes & Noble Kahala discussing Edward and Jacob: Heroism in Twilight.  More info
• 03:00pm – It’s the Bamboo Ridge Issue #94 reading at Native Books/Na Mea Hawai’i at Ward Warehouse.  Featuring readings by Jeffrey Carroll, Lee Cataluna, Jon Hamblin, Milton Kimura, Jean Yamasaki Toyama, and Beryl Allene Young.  More info
• 03:00pm – Author event with Ann Wright, talking about the Gaza Freedom March at Revolution Books.  2626 S. King St.

Remember, all events listed above may be subject to change.  Please contact the venue beforehand if you plan on attending.

If you have an event you would like us to help promote, please leave us a comment here or e-mail me at aalba@hawaiibookblog[dot]com.  Replace the [dot] with a ‘.’ when you compose the message.  Mahalo and have a great weekend!

A wise songwriter dubbed him the “Hawaiian Superman” and immortalized one of his tales into a hit song—one cultural icon singing about another. The songwriter was Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and the “Hawaiian Superman” is the mythological hero, Maui.

Living in Hawaii you’d be hard pressed to avoid the tale of how Maui snared the sun, and variations of his many exploits can be found in legends across the Pacific, most prevalent in Maori and Hawaiian legends. How Maui Slowed the Sun (UH Press) by Suelyn Ching Tune is an adaptation of that tale. This keiki picture book illustrated by Robin Yoko Burningham, is told from the point of view of a young Maui, still in his boyhood who doesn’t have enough daylight hours to fly his kite. It’s a small twist on the original tale, but it makes a big difference in making the story accessible to young kids who can relate to wanting more time outside to play. As the young Maui walks home from his short day he notices how the different people of his village are affected by the sun moving so quickly across the sky. The fisherman have no time to fish, the farmers have no crops, and his mother cannot dry her tapa. So, he sets out to catch the sun by lassoing its legs and forcing it to slow down.

The book is quite close to the original tale, as recorded by Mary Kawena Pukui in Tales of the Menehune (Kamehameha Press), which was also illustrated by Burningham. It amused me that the children’s book version of the story is longer than the actual tale, but still had less details in its narrative. I read this keiki book aloud to a toddler (2-3 yrs.) and he lost interest right when Maui was going home after playing with his kite. Although the pictures are lovely, especially the pictures of Maui and the sun, they’re not substantial enough to hold the attention of a young one who depends on the illustrations to show the progression of the story and stay involved. However, the book is perfect for an early reader who will enjoy reading the story as much as looking at the pictures.

Ms. Mitchell, the YA Librarian from Liliha, had kindly recommended this book for our Library Tour Challenge.  As mentioned in the write-up of our Liliha Library visit (which you can view here if you missed it), we agree with Ms. Mitchell in encouraging Hawai’i kids to pursue an interest in local literature at an early age. This is definitely one of the better produced keiki books on Hawaiian legends and illustrates how important fishing and farming were to the Hawaiian people.

If you’re interested in reading more of Maui’s adventures, Martha Beckwith and William Westervelt are two early folklorists who were successful in recording some of the old legends of Hawaii and the Pacific. You can find electronic versions of their work on Google.

Folktales about capturing the sun are not restricted to Maui and Pacific cultures. People have crafted stories to explain the nature of the sun and weather for centuries. There are a few American Indian and African tales that have a similar theme and I went in search of some to share. Luckily, someone already did all the hard work for me and I found an excellent site run by Stanford University with lots of links to folktales about the sun. Check it out here!

Well, it’s a new year and one of our blog resolutions was to finally change the layout of Hawaii Book Blog.  We’ve been running the simple “default” template since the beginning of Hawaii Book Blog (HBB) back in 2008.  You may recall we did a makeover of our logo and banner back in August, which really helped to brand ourselves with an identity and set the stage for us to make design changes. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a template that satisfied all of the needs we required.  At least, one that would accommodate our new banner and provide us with the extra columns that we desired.  Those of you in the blog game may know how we felt.

After months of half-hearted searching, I finally told myself that there probably wouldn’t be a template that would be ready to go without some manipulation.  I settled on one that I thought had a lot of potential and would be easiest to change, and then set upon re-coding it.  Man…I haven’t written a web page since the 1990’s so I wasn’t up to snuff with CSS and PHP like I had been with HTML and JAVA.  It took me a while, but I was finally ALMOST there with what I wanted.  Then the holidays hit, and HBB was put on hold for the time being.

Fast forward to this past weekend…we finally decided to put out the new template, even if I felt it was still a bit unfinished with some of the peculiarities.  Something screwy happened with Wordpress and the site was down from Saturday night up until Sunday afternoon (I slept through most of it).  Basically, I ended up having to delete everything and reinstall and upload the whole enchilada back on the server and here we are today.

I hope the new design makes it a little easier to navigate.  One of the problems I had with the default design was that when you clicked on a single post, the sidebars would disappear and there were just less means of navigation to get you around the site.  We may also experiment with abbreviating the posts on the Home page, which would require you to click on the post title in order to continue reading it.  Also, some of the font structures and colors may change in the coming weeks as we slowly settle into a finalized design.  Please bear with us with these changes!

Any feedback on the design, whether functional or aesthetic, would be greatly appreciated.  You can leave a comment here, or e-mail me at aalba@hawaiibookblog[dot]com.  Just don’t forget to replace the [dot] with a period. 

Thank you once again to all of our readers for visiting our site.  Now that this hill has finally been climbed, hopefully I can now focus more attention on reading and writing more posts.  We have a lot of catching up to do this month, and with our Library Tour, but we are very positive about the future.

Mahalo!

Sick as dogs…no, worse, we have been sick as sloths the past week.  And no, I don’t mean the types of sloths that would hire a dog to burn down a hospital; I’m talking about the laid back, slow-moving mammals that bear the moniker of one of the seven deadly sins.  Yes, we’ve been blog sinners this past month–sloth to the idea of reading our assignments and writing our homework–but like I said, our excuse is that we’re sick as sloths.  Don’t worry, it pains us to see our monthly post count so low, so that’ll all change soon–we’re excited about a few things coming up, including getting the proverbial train that is our Library Tour over the hill and racing along again (I think I can…).  And bless Misty for posting about surfing books!  I was worried I might have back-to-back Book Ends, which is never a good sign.

But January just seems to be a slow month anyway.  I thought last week’s Book End was sparse, but this week may top it for the least events I’ve had prepared.  Maybe I missed something, and if I did then please share, but it looks like it may be slim pickings for the rest of the month.  Here are this weekend’s events:

Friday, January 15

• 10:30am – Visit Kihei Library (Maui) to see “Keiko and Louie: Best Best Friends (Mostly)” presented by the Honolulu Theater for Youth.  Louie needs a friend. Keiko loves to make friends. When Louie and Keiko find each other, they also discover the ups and downs, the fun and trouble of friendship.  More Info
• 07:00pm – It’s “An Evening of Ecstatic Poetry, Music and Stories of Awakening” at the Living Arts Gallery in Hawi (Big Island).  Drawing upon Sufi poetry, music, myth and metaphor from mystical traditions around the world, Gavin Harrison and Nelson Denman help you expereince the Sublime, the Divine, the UnNameable Mystery. Original poems by Gavin and cello compositons by Nelson.  More info
• 07:30pm - McCoy Studio Theater of the Maui Arts and Cultural Center: Kumu Kahua Theatre presents Shirota’s latest play, Voices from Okinawa.  More Info.
  

Saturday, January 16

• 11:00am – Storytime at Barnes & Noble Ala Moana!  Reading of Where the Mild Things Are: A Very Weak Parody.  More Info
• 01:00pm – Book Signing event at Barnes & Noble Kahala.  Arnold Hiura, author of Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands will be on hand to sign copies of his new book.  More Info
• 02:00pm – Book Signing event at Borders-Kahului in Maui Marketplace.  Jon Shirota will be signing copies of his books Lucky Come Hawaii and Voices from Okinawa.  More Info
• 07:30pm - McCoy Studio Theater of the Maui Arts and Cultural Center: Kumu Kahua Theatre presents Shirota’s latest play, Voices from Okinawa.  More Info.
  

Sunday, January 17

• 01:00pm – Book Signing event at Barnes & Noble Kahala.  There will be a special storytime and signing with author Zachary Shapiro. He will be signing copies of his book, We’re All in the Same Boat.  More Info
• 03:00pm – At Kaimuki Public Library: Frank De Lima, winner of 12 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and one of Hawaii’s most popular comedians, will present “Laughing and Learning in Hawaii Today,” a free program to be conducted in the Adult Reading Room.
• 03:00pm – At Revolution Books: Book launching for Tinfish 19 and Eulogies, recently released by Tinfish Press. Poet Lyz Soto, author of Eulogies, will be joined by poets featured in Tinfish 19.  More Info

Remember, all events listed above may be subject to change.  Please contact the venue beforehand if you plan on attending.

If you have an event you would like us to help promote, please leave us a comment here or e-mail me at aalba@hawaiibookblog[dot]com.  Replace the [dot] with a ‘.’ when you compose the message.  Mahalo and have a great weekend!