Monthly Archives: July 2008

A busy summer Saturday in July

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posted by M.L. Sanico

There were several book events happening simultaneously in Honolulu on Saturday (July 19th). Try as I might, and only successfully in the realm of my imagination, I have a hard time being in two places at once. Alas, I am a mere mortal slave to things like time…and traffic.

The first was an all afternoon story time event hosted by The Honolulu Navy Exchange and the Read It Loud Foundation with Clifford the Big Red Dog featured as a special guest. A big colorful carpet was laid out on the second floor of the department store’s toy section, welcoming children to sit and wait for the stories to begin. There were balloons and book displays and several plushie versions of Chip & Cookie, characters created by famed cookie-maker Wally Amos to encourage parents to read to their children and promote literacy in development.

Following the sale of his “Famous Amos” brand, Wally Amos moved to Oahu for some R&R– except he’s been anything but idle! He’s back to baking and has opened a store that sells delectable mini-cookies by the pound. He even reads aloud to children regularly at his store/bakery in Kailua (see here for a schedule of his Saturday story sessions).

Also attending the event was Tammy Yee, the author and popular illustrator of several local picture books, to sign autographs and talk to fans and children about creating illustrations. She is one of my favorite artists from the islands and has garnered much acclaim on the mainland and internationally as well. Check out her webpage in our link section! Reviews and feedback on some of her books are forthcoming.

The second event was being held all the way at Aina Haina public library, and I didn’t quite make it there in time. Lynde Lakes is a published author and member (former president) of the Romance Writer’s Association Hawaii Chapter –see their webpage in HBB’s link list and favorite sites! Lynde held a one hour presentation on the challenges of getting published using her book Billboard Cop as an example. I am very sad to have missed such a useful presentation. 🙁

Apologies and Amends

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My apologies for not updating in awhile! I’ve been getting myself organized over the last few weeks and going through the mass of books I purchased at the Friends of the Library book sale. I did pick up a few tasty bits of reading-some fiction by local Japanese authors and a few children’s books as well. I plan to have some reviews up, reading suggestions, local bookstore visits, and event info posted soon.

Now, I’ll make amends… have you heard of Goodreads? It’s a fantastic resource for useful book reviews, and it’s fun (take a look at the never-ending book quiz to test your literary chops). It’s a social networking site for book lovers! Create your profile and show off your book lists, read special interviews with authors, review books and join discussion groups like Hawaii Book Blog! Check it out!

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! 😉

*LAST DAY* for Honolulu's BIGGEST Booksale!

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McKinley High School cafeteria

McKinley High School cafeteria

Tomorrow, July 6th is the last day of the ‘Friends of the Library of Hawaii’ annual book sale. The last day is when you have to put your treasure hunting skills and patience to the test! All books go for fifty cents, sometimes less, but those literary gems are hard to come by in the leftovers. Most of them have already been picked up during the earlier days of the sale, but it’s actually a bit easier to sift through now that the overwhelming amount of books has been weened, and there’s still some potential to find one or two. Then you’d be getting it at a steal!

This year has been one of the biggest the Friends have hosted. They expanded into the common areas and school hallways setting up tables of fiction, children’s books and history/politics outside! The trade-winds come through the tent and make it quite comfortable for perusing books.

There are more check-out stations this year and more fantastic volunteers to help or direct you. The long lines and cramped areas are long gone. The result of the ‘Friends’ hard work is obvious with this years sale success and there are even vendors outside selling refreshments and baked goods if you need a break from your bargain book hunting.

Word must have spread about the potential for this sale because it’s busier than I’ve ever seen it! This poses parking problems obviously, but the McKinley High school grounds staff are more than helpful. Unfortunately there are no evening hours during the last day of the sale so make sure you visit before 1 pm! Happy treasure hunting, readers!

Children's Literature Conference

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posted by M.L. Sanico

The 14th Biennial Conference titled “Sharing Memories, Shaping Possibilities” and hosted by Children’s Literature Hawai’i and UH Manoa, was held on the last weekend of June. Teachers, authors and illustrators gathered to discuss various topics specific to children’s literature and Hawai’i during this two day event culminating in a children’s fair on Saturday, June 28th.

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 since I had a book sale to checkout the next day but I was sad to miss the rest of the conference. 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:

  • Interpreting Gender through Children’s Literature
  • A Literary Map of Hawai’i (be on the lookout for more on this!)
  • Beyond the Islands: Creating Stories with Universal Appeal

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!