Description
Poetry. Fiction. Native Hawaiian Studies. WHAT WE MUST REMEMBER features 28 linked poems, followed by insightful commentary on each poem by its author. With an introduction and timeline of events by Massie scholar John P. Rosa, this special issue revisits the 1932 kidnapping and murder of Native Hawaiian prize fighter Joseph Kahahawai and the events surrounding it, commonly known as "The Massie Case."
Referred to as "one of the greatest criminal cases of modern times" by the Chicago Tribune, the incident was reflective of the racial tensions in plantation-era Hawai'i and, according to scholar David Stannard in his book Honor Killing, "provided the seedbed for subsequent [social] change" in the local community. In this new book, each poet investigates, interrogates, and brings to light the racial, ethical, and moral complexities of one of Hawai'i's most controversial criminal cases, the linked verses interwoven with factual detail to create a mosaic of emotional depth that explores the implications of the historical events that took place and that continue to reverberate today.
Author Bio
Ann Inoshita has a book of poems, Manoa Stream, and a short play, Wea I Stay: A Play in Hawai'i, included in The Statehood Project. Her creative works have been anthologized widely in local and international journals. She teaches at Leeward Community College.
Juliet S. Kono is the author of several books: Hilo Rains, Tsunami Years, Ho`olulu Park and the Pepsodent Smile, The Bravest Opihi, and Anshuu, a novel. She has appeared in many anthologies and collections and is the recipient of several awards.
Christy Passion is a critical care nurse and poet, author of Still Out of Place. Her work has appeared in Crab Creek Review, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Blue Collar Review, and Mauri Ola. She has received the James A. Vaughn Award for Poetry, the Atlanta Review International Merit Award, the Academy of American Poetry Award, and the Cades Award for Literature.
Jean Yamasaki Toyama is professor emerita of French and former Associate Dean of the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her latest books include a volume of poetry, Prepositions, and one of short stories, The Piano Tuner's Wife. She is a Beckett scholar.
Author City: HONOLULU, HI USA