Member News - Spring 2023
Hawaii Writers Guild's Member Newsletter - Issue 4
Co-Editors: Joy Fisher & Cecilia Johansen
Joy Fisher
Cecilia Johansen
Welcome from our Co-Editors
Welcome to the fourth issue of Member News, the Hawaii Writers Guild biannual publication that shines a spotlight on our members and their writing lives and accomplishments.
In this Spring 2023 issue, we have three feature stories. At the top of the list is a story about our annual meeting, which was held in January, that focuses on our members’ participation. If you attended the Zoom meeting, you will find your picture in this story. If you didn’t attend, you can see who was there.
Our second feature tells the story about how the aloha spirit of the Guild’s new president and a new member of the Guild helped a writer from Canada realize her wish to do a public reading from her new book during her visit to Maui in April.
In our third feature, our new president, Diane Revell, reports on the 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Peace Poem Awards Ceremony that she attended as a representative of the Guild on April 29.
We think you’ll agree, based on the latter two feature stories, that a characteristic of our new president’s governance is connecting with others. It’s going to be fun to see where her presidency will lead the Guild!
We also devote space to two regular columns that we try to include in each issue. Genre Corner is a column which provides an opportunity for a member (or members) to sound off—either pro or con—about some aspect of their favorite genres. In this issue, what started out as a Genre Corner column by our secretary Donna Beumler, ended up as more akin to a description of one of her favorite writing techniques, which she calls “Magical Writing.” See whether it’s a technique that might appeal to you.
Our second column, Transitions, is a column we developed to provide news of members who are moving into or out of various positions, functions or duties with Hawaii Writers Guild or other aspects of their writing lives. This month we have a profile of our new president, Diane Revell, to introduce you to her in case you don’t know her. We also feature a new project being developed by our member Frank Reilly. Frank, a founding member of the team that developed the Guild’s online writers support group, “Readings and Responses,” approached the Board at its Annual Planning Meeting in January to suggest a new project: the organization of a new writers’ group on Kauai, the island where Frank lives. The board approved, and Frank has launched that project.
Another member of the “Readings and Responses” leadership team, Margaret Zacharias, has decided to transition out of her role, so we have also included a story about Margaret. Sometimes these transitions create openings for new members to contribute their efforts to the work of the Guild. Margaret’s is one such story—and there are others. So, if you are interested in getting more involved, take a look at the Transitions column to see whether there is an opportunity for you.
An important ongoing feature of Member News are stories and pictures of our new members, so that you have a chance to “meet them” soon after they join the Guild. Not every new member takes advantage of this opportunity to introduce themselves to us, but we are happy to shine the spotlight on those who do.
In every issue, we also devote space to saying “Congrats!” to our members who have published their work since the last issue. Issue after issue, we hear reports from several members who have reached that coveted goal, and this issue is no exception.
We hope you will enjoy reading about your fellow Guild members and their accomplishments in this issue of Member News. Please let us hear from you if you have suggestions for stories to include in future issues.
Mahalo,
Joy and Cece
CONTENTS
WRITING TECHNIQUES
TRANSITIONS
NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Here are ten new members who joined since our last issue. Click here to learn more about them.
1. Kahualani Aitken
2. Phillip Anderson
3. Jadelin Bennett
4. John Blossom
5. Nicole Kepoo
6. Karen Kuester
7. Terra LeMay
8. Chad Aaron Long
9. Marc Mowrey
10. Catherine Tripp
RECENTLY PUBLISHED
Here are seven members who have published recently. Let's give them all a hand! Click here to learn more about them.
1. Published! Congrats to Jordan Barnes
2. Published! Congrats to Gwyn Gorg
3. Published! Congrats to Don Kennedy
4. Published! Congrats to Karen Keuster
5. Published! Congrats to Don Mules
6. Published! Congrats to Wendy Noritake
7. Published! Congrats to Frank Reilly
New President, New Member Infuse Spirit of Aloha into Guild’s New Year
Diane Revell, the Guild’s new president, had been in office for less than a month when a message arrived from a Canadian author seeking assistance from the Guild in setting up a reading on Maui during her planned trip in April.
Minelle Mahtani, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, wrote: “I am a mixed race writer who has written a memoir about how I was gaining a voice [in radio] as my mother was losing hers” [to cancer]. Mahtani said she’d like to offer a reading from her memoir, May It Have a Happy Ending, which explores questions of “grief and ancestor voices,” and wondered whether the Guild could help.
Revell began exploring Maui venues herself and then sent out a solicitation to the Guild’s Maui members asking whether any of them could assist. Enter Phillip Anderson, new Guild member [see the story about him in this issue’s New Member Spotlight profiles]. Although new to the Guild, he didn’t hesitate to offer his help. He quickly compiled a list of six possible venues suitable for a reading, together with their contact phone numbers, and shared them with Mahtani.
On April 2, Mahtani reported she had confirmed a venue for the reading – Maui Coffee Attic in Wailuku said they would be happy to host and would also advertise. “I’m really happy that this is coming together!” Mahtani said.
Mahtani’s reading was held on Friday April 21 at 2 pm. One of the persons attending, a writer from Maui, later filed an application to join Hawaii Writers Guild. Our Guild members’ good deeds resulted in good fortune for the Guild!
The 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poem Awards
Hawaii Writers Guild President Diane Revell took time out from her other many duties as our president to show the Guild’s support for this annual event by attending the Peace Poem Awards Ceremony held on April 29th at the University of Hawaii campus in Hilo. The event was to honor Hawaii Island students who had entered poems they had written.
The Peace Poetry Contest, a statewide event with awards ceremonies on each participating island, was started in 2000 as a way to share with Hawaii students an understanding of the need for peaceful reflection and active work toward peace. Diane arrived in time to hear remarks made by a representative from the Office of the Mayor, followed by a presentation by Gwyn Gorg. (Gwyn is a member of Hawaii Writers Guild, but was not appearing at the event in her capacity as a Guild member on that occasion. See more about Gwyn’s literary activism in the story elsewhere in this issue about her newly published book of prose and poetry.) Below are some edited highlights from the report from Guild President Diane Revell.
Tenth grade student Vladimir Fedoruk (center) was the Big Island 2023 Grand Prize winner of the 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poem Award. Fedoruk’s family are refugees from the war in Ukraine. He is flanked by Peace Poem Coordinator Melinda Gohn and Mayor Mitch Roth’s representative, Timothy Hansen.
Report from our President
The Mayor’s representative related some highlights of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work peacefully fighting for recognition of the common humanity of all regardless of skin color or other personal differences.
Gwyn’s talk was very inspiring. It spoke to resolving conflict peacefully when that seemed like an unlikely outcome. She related an incident when a gang had tried to steal items from her and her husband and how they had worked to achieve a peaceful resolution. Since this was a poetry- focused event, Gwyn ended her presentation with a poem she wrote about a family of ducks in Los Angeles with the mother duck managing the ducklings’ way through a restaurant and across a busy road with the help and support of all the people seeing this very unusual sight in the city. It was a poem of interest to young and old.
Melinda Gohn, the organizer, then began the main event, starting with the youngest award recipients reading their winning poems. The winners represented many schools from 1st grade through 12th with usually a 1st and 2nd place winner for each school, each grade, and each classroom that participated. Each student received a certificate, a gift and a photo opportunity with Melinda and the Mayor’s representative.
One of the award recipients was an exchange student from China. Melinda had her read her poem in her own language, suggesting we listen to the flow and cadence of the poem. Then Melinda read the English translation of the poem.
The grand prize winner received an award certificate and an etched plaque. In addition, a teacher from among those who had students participating in the contest was selected as Teacher of the Year for 2023. Another teacher from the prior year was also recognized in person because the ceremonies were not in person during that year due to the pandemic. There were many photo opportunities for the winners of all the awards as well as a few group photos of all the winners.
Melinda regretted not having more time to talk with me in person, but was glad I could see what their Peace Poem Project was about. She hoped our two groups could share some of our work together in the future.
Magic Writing
By Donna Beumler
You are perhaps that person who finds those “ghost hunter” tv shows ludicrous. You think that psychics are obviously grifters, and that supernatural phenomenon is just another name for hogwash.
Well, you may want to suspend your disbelief for a moment while I describe an intriguing way to learn more about your writing self.
Maybe you are searching for a new and different way to write. Or maybe you find yourself in a writing rut of sorts and are in need of inspiration. If so, a little magic may be just the thing to infuse your writing with a fresh perspective.
Not to fear, there are no seances involved, and no zombies. It’s easy; anyone can do it. (Well, maybe not a zombie.)
First, find a quiet place to write, whether it’s in front of your computer, with your iPad on your lap, or at your desk with a pad of paper and a pen. Writers are used to finding secluded places in which to immerse themselves in their writing, so this step should be straightforward.
Second, relax and get ready to write by disengaging your brain. Yes, really. You are not going to think about writing—or about anything else— for the next twenty minutes or so. There is no writing prompt. Ignore rules about format and grammar, and clear your mind completely. Forget about the thesaurus, and about analogies and metaphors. You have one job, and that is not to think.
Third, write. Start putting words down on paper or into the blank document on your screen. Any words. All words. Words in no particular order. Verbs, adjectives, nouns, phrases, entire sentences —it doesn’t matter. You’re not thinking up these words ahead of time, and you’re not trying to write anything in particular. In fact, you are bypassing your brain completely.
It’s just possible that your fingers will be writing from some place deep inside you, some untapped well of words which needed to see the light of day. If you find yourself starting to think about what to write, stop thinking. Judgement is not allowed here: there are no bad words, and no such thing as a poorly-worded phrase. Take a deep breath and clear your mind of all thought. And then, after about twenty minutes or so, take a look at what you’ve written.
And now, the last step: you can organize your words and phrases in a way that flows, in a way which is meaningful to you. Or, if you want, just leave them in the order you wrote them. You may have written a poem, or begun a short story. And remember to keep an open mind: some part of you wanted these words to be seen. Perhaps you’ve even learned a little something about yourself, as if by — magic!
Donna Beumler is the author of the novel Criminal/Lawyer. She has also had her poetry published in the Journal of Undiscovered Poets. She claims residency in “beautiful North Kohala” on the Island of Hawaii, where she is a member of the Kohala Writers Group. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since July 2018 and is the Guild’s current hardworking secretary.
Although this piece began as a contribution to our Genre Corner column, it developed into a piece about a favorite writing technique. So, for this issue, we are giving the Genre Corner column a new name: Writing Techniques. Who says we can’t be flexible!
Transitions
The New Year Brings New Beginnings (and Some New Opportunities!)
Diane Revell
Yes, the Guild has some new beginnings to report. And because there are new beginnings, some Guild members are transitioning into new functions. Our annual election of officers in January, for instance, brought the Guild a new president!
“Wait”—you may be thinking—“didn’t the last Transitions column begin with this woman’s picture?” Well, yes, in fact it did. And so did the Transitions column before that. Diane Revell has been a woman on the move, and now she’s moved to the very top of the organization, and the Guild is all the better for it.
A year ago, we reported that Diane was transitioning out of her long-held position as Guild secretary. At that time, we listed some of the many other activities she had participated in as the Guild grew and developed, such as working with the attorney and other members to help the Guild achieve its status as a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation under IRS Code section 501(c)(3), as well as helping to write the by-laws that keep us operating legally.
Six months ago, we reported Diane had soon found a new role for herself as the author of “A New Member Guide” chock full of helpful information for new Guild members. In addition, she had transitioned into the role of the facilitator for the Kohala Writers Group after its founder, Eila Algood, had moved on. (Diane will continue to facilitate the writers’ group during her term as president.)
And now this! What is her secret, you may wonder. Is it ambition? Nope. But her leadership abilities are clearly delineated in all her previous services to the Guild. Where do they come from? Well…she was “the big sister” in a multi-child household when she was growing up. Maybe that had something to do with it. Or maybe not. Wherever her leadership skills came from, as our ongoing vice president, Bruce Stern said when Diane was elected: “Under the leadership of President Diane Revell, we all are looking forward to a successful year for the Guild and its members.”
Frank Reilly
Some of you may know Frank Reilly from the many devoted hours he has served as one of the team that organized and facilitated the Guild’s online writers support group, Readings and Responses, which is available to Guild members.
Each year, shortly after its election of officers at its Annual Meeting in January, the Guild holds an Annual Planning Meeting at which the newly-constituted board solicits ideas from members for new projects for the new year. At the 2023 Annual Planning Meeting, Frank stepped up with a proposal to organize a writers group specifically for Kauai Island, where Frank lives.
Kauai island had been fertile ground for writers and writing activity for many years culminating in the organization of the annual Kauai Writers Conference, which draws attendees from far and near. Frank had noticed that much of the on-going local activity had been greatly diminished in recent years, however, in part because some of the organizers of the local writers support groups had moved away, and in part because Covid-19 had diminished enthusiasm for in-person meetings of any kind.
Frank presented a written proposal to the Hawaii Writers Guild board meeting in February outlining his proposal and volunteering to take on the project himself. The board approved the project and sent Frank some updated trifold brochures he could use to highlight the benefits of Guild membership and Frank set about spreading the word.
On April 6, 2023, Frank held the first meeting of an online Readings and Responses group specifically aimed at Kauai Island writers. His project has begun. Now his plan is to build the group slowly, through personal contact, to ensure that it will grow in an orderly and cohesive fashion. Eventually, he hopes, as Covid-19 fades away, the group will encompass in-person activities which will strengthen the ties even more among Kauai writers.
Good luck, Frank!
[NOTE: The Annual Planning Meeting yielded some other interesting ideas for projects which are still in the formative stages. As they develop, we’ll report on them in future issues of Member News.]
Margaret Zacharias
June 2023 will mark the third anniversary of the Hawaii Writers Guild online writers support group, Readings and Responses. Guild member Margaret Zacharias, who has worked tirelessly from the outset as a volunteer facilitator, web host, Zoom scheduler and communications coordinator for this important group that has been available to all HWG members has notified President Diane Revell that she, Margaret, has decided that the time has come for her to move on.
Beginning in June, the Board will need a new volunteer to perform these important duties going forward if it is to be able to continue offering an Open Forum, drop-in online writers’ group to all HWG members. (If you want to know just how important this group is for our members, take a look at the note appended to the Published! Congrats to Don Mules story in this issue)
Although busy after a move to a new state, Margaret is willing to orient a new person who is willing to take over. Are you that person? Readings and Responses has been a very important benefit available to HWG members. Whoever takes over these responsibilities will be making it possible for the Guild to continue to offer this key benefit to all of our members.
If you are willing to take on these responsibilities, please contact our president, Diane Revell, so arrangements can be made to get you oriented so there can be a smooth transition. Diane’s email address is here.
Thank you, Margaret, for your service during these past three years. You have set a wonderful example for whoever chooses to follow in your footsteps.
Here are some other reminders for those of you who are looking for ways to get more involved in facilitating Guild activities:
--We are still looking for someone to take over managing the Guild’s two Facebook accounts, the one open to the public and the one open to members only. If you like working with social media, please contact Joy Fisher at joyfisher374@gmail.com.
--We still need assistance in re-establishing in-person readings and other events under the auspices of our Events Committee. If this is something you would like to assist with, please contact our President, Diane Revell, and let her know what you would be interested in doing to help.
New Members
Say Aloha to all our new members since the last Member News
Kahualani Aitken joined Hawaii Writers Guild in November 2022. She lives in Kapa’au on the Island of Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild?
In The Kohala newsletter maybe?
What made you decide to join the Guild?
Impulse.
When did you start to write?
I’ve been writing since I was small. Emily Dickenson was my first love and inspiration, “A little bird hopped down the walk, he did not know I saw…”
When did you start to think of yourself as “a writer”, an “author”?
I write, therefore I am a writer. I still don’t particularly think of myself as an author.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
No.
Tell us about any writing projects you are working on.
I have a stack of short stories that eventually will come together, a mish mash of years of poetry. Nothing in particular and everything all at once.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I’m grateful for the writing group, for their friendship and kindness and collaboration. You are all so talented and inspiring. Thank you for including me!
Phillip Anderson joined Hawaii Writers Guild in September 2022. He lives in the Iao Valley, Wailuku, Maui.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild?
Internet.
What made you decide to join the Guild?
Interested in sharing writings and collaborations with others who enjoy writing and storytelling.
When did you start to write?
2010.
When did you start to think of yourself as “a writer”, an “author”?
It’s a long-term process for me. I’m happy with documenting my thoughts on paper and telling stories, but being a writer or author seems to be limiting myself.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Magazine articles in local South Carolina publication.
Tell us about any writing projects you are working on.
My genre of choice is screenplay or script. I have three feature films completed. Two are historic drama based on true events and one is science fiction – action. I do have room to grow…
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I do love feedback, positive and negative, of my work, and have enjoyed the Hawaii Writers Guild Readings and Responses meetings I have attended.
I feel that all artists need to understand how their art is received by others. I’m not one who likes to comment negatively on others’ work, but it’s a part of the process.
[Editor’s Note: Although Phillip is new to the Guild, he jumped right in to help when we needed someone on Maui to help a visiting writer from Canada find a place to read her work. Thanks for your Aloha Spirit, Phillip!]
Jadelin Bennett joined Hawaii Writers Guild in April 2023. She lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.
How did you find out about the Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I found the Hawaii Writer’s Guild website on the internet while searching for ways to connect with other writers who are experienced with the process of publishing their works and also those who are new to the process. I am looking to utilize resources available to writers by joining a web of information as well as to contribute whatever I can to help others.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I would say my writing began in my pre-teen years being an avid reader of Nancy Drew Books, comics, Judy Blume series, Beverly Cleary, and then of course, Stephen King; whatever I could get my hands on I would read and so I was inspired to write, although because I had a love for music too, I wrote mostly poems and songs early on.
I don’t really have conditions for when a writer can call herself an actual writer. I considered myself a writer from when I could put my ideas down on paper so that those ideas, feelings, and thoughts could be relayed to others and they could have some kind of experience. I am also the author of my works, although until I publish my work to the level that I would like to, then I will call myself a published author.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Up and coming!
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
Currently I am working on completing a memoir of personal short stories that encapsulates crazy, dramatic, and oftentimes dangerous experiences I had as a teenager in Hawaii and as a juvenile delinquent, what the justice system in Hawaii called us back then. The short stories include historical places and information behind those areas on the island. You won’t believe some of these true stories, but several are sure to evoke a roar of laughter and a few gasps!
A project I have been working on in the background is a sequel to a biography of my grandmother's book called Margaret of Molokai. It is about her story of being taken to the leprosy colony on Molokai at the age of twelve. Although my grandmother's book is a biography, my work is a fictional story including as much fact as I can find through research and filling in the story beginning when she was a small child in fear of the day she is taken to Molokai.
I am a domestic abuse survivor and am also working on a small booklet to print and share with the women of the domestic violence shelters here on the island. I also write and compose music and will be recording tracks to pitch to local artists this year.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
Mahalo for letting me be part of the group! I have been received with warm welcomes and I am excited to connect with other artists that I can learn from, so that I can grow as a writer and my hopes are also that I can bring value to the group in the future in some way.
John Blossom joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May 2023. He lives in Waimea on the Island of Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was a member of the Central Coast Writers Club in Pacific Grove, CA. It’s always helpful for writers to commune with other people obsessed with storytelling and language.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Art discovered me in high school. When I got to college, I learned that words can be just as fascinating a medium as paints and clay.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
There are three novels coming out this year: The Last Football Player, Mahina Rises, and To Be or Not to Be. Four previous novels and a memoir are published on Amazon and other platforms. Please see my website for titles, reviews, awards, etc. (JTBlossom.com)
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
The Last Football Player will be released on July 14, 2023. It is in the process of being reviewed by Kirkus and other sites, so the work now is to encourage pre-sales. The reviews have been good so far, and there has been interest in optioning the novel as a movie. I’m humbled.
Mahina Rises is in the line-editing stage. It’s about a Hawaiian teenager who fights climate change with her dreams. It is set in Waimea and involves lava tubes and caves. A quote from the book: “To make the extraordinary ordinary, so that ordinary has the chance to become extraordinary again.”
To Be or Not to Be is drafted and in the process of initial revisions after being edited by Kahina Necaise of The FABLED planet. If you write fantasy or science fiction and need an editor, hire her. She’s beyond amazing, a true storytelling genius, and a kind mentor. This novel is about a teen actor’s obsession with playing Hamlet and the physical and psychological limitations that stand in the way of his dream.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
My uncle, the late actor, Roberts Blossom, admired Alan Rickman who said, “Acting is listening.” I feel all art is that, or more specifically, art is the process of giving one’s self time and permission to listen to ideas that come to us from deep within. We invite those ideas into our consciousness with the invitation to stay a while and play, and, every once in a while, they settle in as conscious companions to our lives, molding us, demanding attention and work, and making us better and more compassionate human beings.
Nicole Kepoo joined Hawaii Writers Guild in January 2023. She lives in Lahaina, Maui.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild?
I was looking for a writing group to join on the island and came across their website.
What made you decide to join the Guild?
Writing can be quite lonely and I decided to put myself out there and try out to be a part of something that could be so exciting and a great learning experience. I saw it as a possible outlet to motivate me to write more and meet writers.
When did you start to write?
I remember in sixth grade, I wrote random stories in my English class and since then, I’m still writing random stories.
When did you start to think of yourself as “a writer”, an “author”?
When I did National Novel Writing Month for the first time in 2019 and achieved the huge feat of writing 50k words. That length felt so daunting and so satisfying to accomplish. The story is not close to where I want it to be with so many errors but it stands as evidence or proof that I am a writer.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I did publish all 24 chapters of my fantasy novel about an assassin and a prince online on a website I created. I have a life goal to one day publish a novel and have it in bookstores.
Tell us about any writing projects you are working on.
I recently wrote the first draft of my first novella. I have five novels and one script, all rough drafts. I also have two ideas in the works and plan to write a second script. All fiction, mostly romance and fantasy.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
Thank you for accepting my application! I look forward to everything this new adventure with you guys holds.
Karen Kuester joined Hawaii Writers Guild in December 2022. She lives in Kea’au on Hawaii Island.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild?
I found out about the Guild from Dawn Hurwitz, who hosts a writing salon in Puna.
What made you decide to join the Guild?
I wanted to be part of a writing ohana.
When did you start to write?
Seriously, in 2000.
When did you start to think of yourself as “a writer”, an “author”?
Wow! How about that?
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Meraki, a collection of poems. [Note: See the story about this book, Kuestor’s first published book of poems, elsewhere in this newsletter.] I also have a selection of 21 poems in Out of Our Minds: Shadows and Reflections, published by the Volcano Writers Group. I have also been published in Alan Cohen’s book Happily Ever After and on the blog site A Widow’s Tale written by Donna Marie Todd.
Tell us about any writing projects you are working on.
I am working on short travel vignettes and recipes of the area to be called Recipes of a Life Well Lived.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
When I am with writers, I write.
Terra LeMay joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March 2023. She lives in Kapolei, on Oahu.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I’m currently a graduate student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, completing a master’s in public administration and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management. I discovered HWG last fall, while searching for a 501(c)(3) in Hawaii to study for a project in one of my classes. While HWG did not ultimately align with the needs of that particular assignment, I knew I’d want to join the organization when I had more time. (I may have joined prematurely, if I’m honest. I’ve been completely swamped lately, but when I can find a few minutes to spare, I’m hoping to get more involved in the writing community here in Hawaii.)
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Like many, I wrote some stories as a small child, but didn’t carry on with writing until much later in life. However, I have always been an avid reader, and in 2003-2004, I discovered the existence of online critique groups for writers. To my astonishment, these writers would permit you to read their works for free, before they were even published, provided you were willing to offer some feedback on these early drafts. The only hiccup in my case was that the group I found required that you be a writer to participate, and you were required to submit your own work at least once per month. I did not consider myself a writer at all at that point, but I was pretty sure I could fake it and hopefully no one would catch on. Of course, there is a quote by Kurt Vonnegut—“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”—which I had not encountered when I started pretending to be a writer. (So, let this be a warning to you!) A few months in, I realized I couldn’t stop.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I sold my first short story to Apex Magazine in 2010 and have sold about a dozen others since to various science fiction and fantasy magazines and anthologies.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
Unfortunately, most of my writing time is currently consumed by grad school right now. However, my most recent project is a dark epic fantasy novel, in which the half-human offspring of a captive pit demon beguiles a corrupt autocrat to acquire a secret that will enable him to liberate an enslaved people and topple a tyrannical empire. I hope it will appeal to readers of Jacqueline Carey (Kushiel’s Dart), Ellen Kushner (Fall of the Kings), or China Miéville (particularly Perdido Street Station and its sequels.)
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I currently work full time for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA). (Email me at office@sfwa.org if you have questions about SFWA.)
Chad Aaron Long joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May 2023. He lives in Kalaheo, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
Fellow poet and writer Cheryl Ann Farrell has been talking about and encouraging members of another group we are in, the Kauai Live Poet’s Society, to look into the Guild. She has been doing so for what must be years now. She has shared when she has been published in this, and other publications.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”
I have been writing in some form or another for as long as I can remember. I wrote my own counter-culture type school newspaper in high school, as well as a short collection of poetry a friend of mine produced and distributed that got a bit of popularity then. I wrote a whacky pseudo-religious compilation of stories shortly after leaving high school. I wrote my first short novel in my early thirties. I made my way far into a handful of false starts as well.
As far as knowing when to think of oneself as a ‘writer,’ it is a difficult and soul-searching endeavor. Is it upon the completion of the first thing produced? Is it a body of work that gives merit? Or are we legitimate when it is our primary vocation? I suppose I still struggle with that aspect of how I perceive myself.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
My first published work was shortly after high school. I won second place in a regional poetry contest in Northern California. I do not recall the publication; lost to time, I’m afraid.
I have written two books of poetry, self-published. The titles are: Lost in the Land of the Dreaming, and Shadows from a Nearby Room.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
The Kauai group I am a member of is collaborating on a book of haiku which I am heavily involved in. I also have a place I’m tucking away new poetry for what will eventually become a book, even though it is not currently my focus.
My primary personal project right now is a science fiction novel. I am writing it with the feedback and sharing in the Guild’s Readings and Responses group, which is primarily based in Kauai.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I've been an avid reader often in my life. It has brought me much joy and has profoundly influenced my personal growth. I’m grateful for the warm welcome, and am enthusiastic about taking part in this community.
Marc Mowrey joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March 2023. He Lives in Halaula, Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
A couple friends mentioned it to me, and, as a recent transplant to the big island, I was curious about the local writing scene.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Writing is an old habit I picked up as a kid, but I never had much success at operating pens and pencils. I was slow, and my scrawl was illegible even to me. I couldn’t figure out how to hold a pencil, or which way to tilt the words, or even whether to employ script or cursive. My hand would spaz out at random times, and introduce additional meaningless lines into my already incomprehensible hieroglyphics. I am old enough that we had a class called penmanship. I failed this every year, and was thus deemed incapable of writing. When I got my first typewriter at age 10, everything changed. Suddenly I could keep up with my thoughts, and also decipher them later.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I’m the co-author of Not in Our Backyard, a history of the modern American environmental movement. I’ve also had articles published in the LA Times, Playboy, Omni, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. In addition, I’ve written the music and lyrics for several records, including As You Like It and Bang Your Head Slowly.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I’m currently writing One Point Shy, a collection of tales about what it’s like to not be a genius. It’s slow-going, because I get depressed writing about how much of my younger life I wasted. It’s kind of a comedy, but only up to a point. I’ve also started a graphic novel about contemporary dating and relationships. I came out of the gate with a real bang on this one, but have since been hindered by a complete lack of artistic ability. I still draw stick figures. Anyone out there who can draw and is looking for a really cool project?
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I’m still writing music, including lyrics. Maybe I’ll finish another record one of these days.
Catherine Tripp joined Hawaii Writers Guild In December 2022. She lives in the Mauna Lani Resort area of Kamuela on Hawaii Island.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild?
I met with a couple of members at the Kauai Writers Conference in November of 2022. Dawn Hurwitz and Margaret Zacharias were there for dinner at Duke’s.
What made you decide to join the Guild?
I've been meaning to for a couple of years but wanted to get some publications and contests under my belt, update the CV, and polish up the website before joining the Guild. [You can check out her website here]
When did you start to write?
I have always been a scribbler. Even have some short stories I wrote in elementary school, haven’t added them to the CV, they are handwritten on butcher paper all wrapped in vinyl wallpaper with crayon illustrations by the author. Maybe I should pull that chapbook out and see if those scribblings have passed the test of time…
When did you start to think of yourself as “a writer”, an “author”?
When I first saw my name “in print” it was in a literary magazine named Pilcrow and Dagger. There is nothing like ink on paper. But I was still managing rental properties and several real estate transactions, so using Writer/Investor title. Come to think of it, still am. Reedsy.com has short story contests and I was selected for their online publication three times, but it was and is online. Not the same. Memoirist.org picked a piece, even included a photo that I had supplied, so that was visual as well as bit and bytes, and that’s an honor, but I really danced around the house when I received my copy of Parakeet Magazine this January, and my two poems about cats were on pages 1 and 2. It’s the little things, you know? Oh, and the Zoom readings of my work in a group of really fine writers. It felt like only an author could do that.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Yes, they are listed on my author page at Hawaii Writer’s Guild’s website - mahalo Duncan. Poems, short stories, and Zoom readings.
Tell us about any writing projects you are working on.
I am writing a historical novel about a brave abolitionist entrepreneur, Ms. Mary Ellen Pleasant. She was Mother of Civil Rights in California. There’s lots about her in the Mary Ellen Pleasant Papers section on my website. At the Kauai Writer’s Conference this past November (the one where I was recruited, willingly) a suggestion was made to buy Scrivener, and type what I had composed so far over again, every page. This task, although daunting, has proven to be an intellectual and tactile experience much needed. One notices things within the scattershot bits I’ve produced over the years, and improvements ensue. Portions have been read and reviewed here and there in the past ten years - it’s been a passion, a hobby for over a decade - even more if you count my first forays into the historical research. As the year 2023 progresses, I look forward to workshopping the emerging chapters with my fellow writers within the support groups here at the Hawaii Writers Guild.
Recently Published Writers
Members who have published their work since the last issue.
Published! Congrats to Jordan Barnes
Jordan Barnes reported he published his fourth book, Late Blight in the Ko’olaus: A Novel, in February 2023.
The book follows the challenges of a protagonist who is released from a psychiatric facility in Hawaii seven years after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to a serious crime. As he struggles to adapt to a world that fears him, he is terrified that he will lose the stability he has worked so hard to recover.
The novel is about mental illness, recovery, and the healing power of nature, but, as one reviewer has said: “… most of all, it is about the courage it takes to start over.” It was named a Best Literary Book Award Winner by Indies Today. It is available in hardback and paperback as well as in Kindle and audiobook editions.
Barnes knows from personal experience about the courage it takes to start over. His first book, One Hit Away, a nonfiction book subtitled A Memoir of Recovery, was focused on Barnes’ own struggle with drug addiction. It was published in 2020 and was a winner of multiple awards. His other books include Bridge Town: A Harm Reduction Novel and Rules to Die By, a 15,000-word manifesto comprised of 12 reflections on the practices Barnes has employed to maintain a “life worth living”.
Barnes lives in Kailua on Oahu with his wife, Chelsea, and son, Logan. He reports he has been sober from all mood-and-mind-altering substances since August 29, 2011. He says he “fell in love” with storytelling when he worked up the courage to tell his own story and that the response to his memoir inspired him to pursue writing fulltime. Barnes has been a “proud” member of Hawaii Writers Guild since August 2021.
Published! Congrats to Gwen Gorg
Guild Member Gwyndolin Gorg published a new book of prose and poetry in March 2023 entitled A Piece of Perfection. The book expresses her thoughts and feelings on a wide range of topics, including love and romance, concerns about death and abuse, introspection and spirituality, environmental appreciation, female perspectives and a Hawaiian overview.
Gwyn says she spent about a year working on the new book, but she’s not the only one in her family who contributed to it. The book also contains photographs by her two daughters, Gentry Gorg and Sunny Gorg.
The material in the new book has found its way into many of the public readings Gwyn has done and continues to do. Just since the new year began, Gwyn has participated in the following public events:
--On January 15, she was one of many speakers who participated in a Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Old Kona Airport where she read the title poem from her new book and spoke to an audience of 450 about the importance of working together to make the world a better place;
--On February 24, Gwyn presented a workshop at Tutu’s House in Waimea for Black History Month in which she read her poetry and led a discussion exploring the questions: “Who Am I?” and “What is my responsibility to myself and others”; and
--On April 29, she participated in the 24th Annual Peace Poem Awards for students held in Hilo and read her work.
“The whole purpose for what I do is to make the world a better place for everyone,” Gwyn says of her literary activism.
Here’s the title poem from Gwyn’s new book:
A PIECE OF PERFECTION
A book of poetry / prose
observations … comments
physical…mental … spiritual influences
different perspectives
some of the beauty … some of the complexities
we are heir to
as these earthly experiences are traversed
each of us
a part of life’s puzzle,
together we bind the pieces,
I am you… you are me
an on-purpose piece of perfection
We Are
“An on-purpose piece of perfection.” A fitting description, some might say, for the author, as well as for her new book.
Gwyn Gorg lives on the Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since June 2022.
Published! Congrats to Don Kennedy
Don Kennedy reports that his third book in the series Kids Say the Darndest Things to Santa Claus was published in eBook and paperback on September 1, 2022. The book continues following the adventures of volunteer Santa Don (Kennedy himself) as he visits with children and their families in hospitals, women’s and children’s shelters, Boys and Girls Clubs, military bases, churches, schools and wildfire victim temporary housing.
“If you've ever wondered what kids say to Santa Claus, what it would be like to don the Santa suit, what happens when a little child has ‘an accident’ on Santa's knee... then this is the book for you,” Don says.
Some of the twenty-three chapters cover the following topics: The Very First Time - How It All Began, A Question-and-Answer session with Santa, A Grown Up Christmas Wish, Santa in Paradise (Hawaii), Letters to Santa, Santa Around the Globe plus Santa in a Pandemic. Other chapters feature: Young Love, Sibling Rivalry, The Naughty List, Kids' Jokes, The Doubters, Military Families, But, why? plus It Could Only Happen to Santa!
The book received a five-star review rating from the Readers Favorite book review panel and the Silver award in Non Fiction Children’s in the 2022 Global Book Awards.
Kennedy was the featured author for the book club onboard the Carnival Splendor transpacific cruise September 6-25, 2022 from Seattle to Sydney, Australia, during which he and interested passengers read all three books in the series together. Don Kennedy is a resident of Makaha Valley on Oahu, Hawaii. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since March 2020.
Published! Congrats to Karen Kuester
Meraki: A Collection of Poems, was published in paperback in October 2022, just two months before Kuester became a member of Hawaii Writers Guild. It is her first collection of poems, and it draws on the wide-ranging experiences of an intense and passionate life.
Born in Chicago, Kuester taught for thirty years—in the inner-city schools of St. Louis, a village in Germany, the north woods of Wisconsin, and on the island of Hawaii. Along the way, she had unique travel adventures in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Spain, Costa Rica, Greece, Japan and Australia as well as North America.
The title, Meraki, is a Greek word that encompasses the concept of “creating with soul and love” and “imbuing words with a piece of yourself.” In the case of Kuester’s book, a reader will find it imbued with many pieces of the author—as a precocious young woman, resistant daughter, wife, widow, mother, master teacher, political activist and daring world traveler.
Her poems are grouped into themes, starting with “Good Enough,” which reflects on meaningful moments from various stages of her life, and ending with “Travel Songs” derived from her extensive travel adventures. In between, the reader will find sections on “Grief,” “Island Rhythms” and “Nature Hymns”.
Kuester had previously been published in Alan Cohen’s book Happily Even After and on the blog site A Widow’s Tale written by Donna Marie Todd.
Now retired, Kuester lives on Hawaii Island, which she describes as “in the arms of paradise, embraced by the blue Pacific and the volcanic majesty of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.” She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since November 2022.
Published! Congrats to Don Mules
Don Mules (who writes under the pen name D. Ward Cornell) has qualified for a “Congrats” in every issue of Member News so far, and this Spring 2023 issue is no exception. His newest science fiction novel, Echoes of Extinction, was published on March 1, 2023, the very day we sent out a call for publication news for our Spring issue. Mules reported it closed its first day at No. 35 on Kindle’s Alien Invasion Sci-Fi list. The book is out in paperback as well as Kindle.
The book, the first in a new series, tells the tale of one man’s struggle to lead a reluctant world to preparedness despite the personal and political barriers placed in his way. When Kyle Wimberly, the hands-on president of Full Cycle Solar, Inc., investigates a unit failure, he finds an alien shuttle that has crashed into it. The shuttle’s captain is grievously injured, his crew dead. Then, to Kyle’s surprise, the captain asks for help, speaking perfect English.
Kyle and colleague Alexandra Reyes carry the captain to the shuttle’s medical bay for treatment by its auto-doc. This simple act of compassion launches the two down a path that will change their lives and the world forever.
“Lots of stuff is planned for this series. I’ve taken on a co-author, with whom I am planning two more books in this series, this year,” Mules reports.
Mules lives on the Kohala coast of the Big Island. He joined Hawaii Writers Guild in November 2019, and is a stalwart member of the Readings and Responses writers support group team.
…
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Couldn’t resist appending this message from Don, which he sent out on May 23, just as I was finishing up the copy for the Spring 2023 issue. Joy Fisher, co-editor]:
Dear R&R Friends,
Today is a momentous day for me. This morning, after four-plus years of full-time writing, total sales from my eleven books passed through 100,000 units sold. Who could have ever believed at the outset?
This milestone comes on the heels of completing the first full draft of my twelfth book Reverberations yesterday.
At the outset, I had no idea what I was doing, just a story to tell. Over time and with the help of the R&R community and others, I learned more about the theory of storytelling, developed a style, and built a reader base. My last two books, both spent two or more months on a genre-specific top-10 list.
Thanks to all who had a hand in my success, and I hope that seeing someone you know break through like this inspires you to write more and get your work out there.
Don
Published! Congrats to Wendy Noritake
Wendy Noritake reported she had an article and pictures published in the January-February 2023 issue of Ke Ola magazine. The story about how the article got published is almost as interesting as the article itself—which is plenty interesting, because it’s about her encounter with a shark!
Wendy, a PADI dive master, has been scuba diving for more than 20 years and during that time has taken numerous underwater pictures of her below-the-surface adventures. Her pictures and adventures were well-known in North Kohala, where she lives. Some of her underwater photos had even been part of a show at an art gallery there.
In November of 2022, a member of the staff of Ke Ola had contacted Wendy with an urgent request: a writer who was supposed to provide the magazine with an article about sharks had failed to come through. The magazine was on deadline. Could Wendy provide an article?
As it happened, just a month before, Wendy had had a face-to-face encounter with a white tip reef shark at Nishimura Bay in North Kohala and had taken pictures of the event. Could she write a story to go with the photos? She could and she did. Her story, “E Palekana Me Ka Mano: Be Safe with Sharks”, became the lead story in that issue. It makes for riveting reading. For example, this paragraph:
“As the shark at Nishimura Bay came within a couple of feet, I briefly wondered if I might have to use a redirection maneuver, basically a means to push it away…Locking your elbow with arm straight, you push the shark’s nose and head down and away from you. It’s a tactic similar to martial arts, using the opponent’s momentum to push it past you. Don’t put your hand on the nose or head of the shark, but on top. You don’t want your hand to accidentally go inside its mouth!”
Fortunately, when Wendy batted the shark away after a second pass, it veered off and swam into the blue, leaving Wendy with just an adrenaline rush.
Wendy was thrilled to have her story and pictures published in Ke Ola. Sadly, the Covid pandemic had taken its toll on the advertising that supported the magazine. The issue in which Wendy’s story appeared proved to be the very last published issue of the magazine.
If you’d like to read Wendy’s whole story, you can try to access it online here: E Palekana Me Ka Manō: Be Safe With Sharks (keolamagazine.com). (To open the article, you may need to use the password “readme123”). Wendy Noritake lives in North Kohala on the Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2017.
Published! Congrats to Frank Reilly
Frank Reilly shared the good news with us that his story “The Stirling Stone” had been accepted for publication in the Winter 2023 issue of the Baltimore Review.
Hawaii Writers Guild members who have attended the Saturday Readings and Responses group may have some familiarity with this coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old fatherless boy who gets a nudge toward socialization through the intervention of his mother’s boyfriend and his fondness for the sport of curling. Reilly honed his story over a number of weeks at this writers’ support group made available to members by the Guild.
The title of the story is derived from a curling artifact found at the bottom of a drained pond in Dunblane, Scotland, a hunk of granite with the year 1511 engraved on it. In this heartwarming story, learning to deliver a curling stone to the “house”, or, as the boy Manny would say, “home”, serves as a metaphor for Manny’s growing social skills, which transform him from a bedroom-bound electronics nerd into a gregarious young man with a growing circle of friends.
Here’s a link that will take you to the text of the story and, even better, to a link (at the bottom of the story) where you can listen to Reilly read his story aloud: Frank Reilly: The Stirling Stone (baltimorereview.org).
Frank Reilly lives in Kapa’a, Kauai. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2020. [Editors Note: Frank has recently volunteered to create a writers support group especially for writers on Kauai. You can read about that project in the Transitions column in this issue of Member News.]