Honolulu Magazine decided it couldn't ignore the fact that half a dozen local authors received national publishing deals and recognition in 2023.
The magazine's inaugural Honolulu Book Awards recognized authors Craig Santos Perez, who won the National Book Award for Poetry, Jasmin ʻIolani Hakes, Susanna Moore, Jessica Machado, Megan Kakimoto and Chris McKinney.
"Usually we get one author a year who pops through the mainstream press, sometimes not even one author every five years," said Don Wallace, contributing editor for Honolulu Magazine.
He said that while local publishing houses have supported countless local writers, books published by mainstream East Coast companies like HarperCollins reach much wider audiences.
"It just goes to show that Hawaiʻi's literature has moved on to the national, global stage," Wallace said.
Also the editor of The Hawai‘i Review of Books, Wallace wrote in a blog post, "Let’s show the world that Hawaii can be known for more than sun and surf, volcanoes and quarterbacks."
This interview aired on The Conversation on June 4, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
The upcoming Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture that runs June 6-16 will offer a literary track with events at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center.
