Congratulations to BYU-Hawaii history professor Dr. Isaiah Walker on being awarded the Kenneth W. Baldridge Prize for his book, Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in Twentieth-Century Hawai‘i. The prize was announced by the Hawai‘i chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta honor society at their annual regional conference held March 8 at the University of Hawai‘i’s Mānoa campus. The Baldridge Prize recognizes the best book in any field of history written by a resident of Hawai‘i.
Category: Hawaii
Japanese Government Honors Dr. George Tanabe with Imperial Order of the Rising Sun
On January 24 at a ceremony at the Honolulu Consulate General of Japan, University of Hawai‘i professor emeritus George J. Tanabe, Jr. was conferred with the Government of Japan’s Imperial Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in honor of his contributions toward the strengthening of academic and cultural exchanges between the United States and Japan. The award recognizes his work in promoting Japanese culture and values through research and studies in Japanese religions.
Dr. Tanabe joined the faculty of the Department of Religion at UH Mānoa in 1977 and served as department chair from 1991 to 2001. Among his titles published by UH Press are Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawai‘i: An Illustrated Guide, which he wrote and researched with his wife Dr. Willa Tanabe, and Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan, co-authored with Ian Reader. He is also general editor for the Topics in Contemporary Buddhism series.
For more information on Dr. Tanabe’s accomplishments, read the announcement on the award issued by the Consulate General.
Celebrating the Enduring Legacies of Queen Lili‘uokalani
On Sunday, January 26, at 3:30 p.m., UH Mānoa’s Hamilton Library will host “He Lei, He Aloha: This is a Lei of Love, The Legacies of Queen Lili‘uokalani,” a free program that celebrates the enduring legacies of Queen Lili‘uokalani, the last reigning monarch of the kingdom of Hawai‘i. The participatory program, which is presented by the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, will be narrated by Meleanna Aluli Meyer, artist, educator, filmmaker, and descendant of Emma Nawahi, confidante of the Queen.
Part of the 45-minute program will feature readings from Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen, a new edition of which has just been published by Hui Hānai, an auxiliary organization to the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center. UH Press is honored to be distributing this enhanced and annotated edition and will have copies available for purchase at the event.
For more information, click here.
“Voyagers of the Sky” Talk by Robert Shallenberger at Bishop Museum
Conservation biologist and wildlife photographer Robert Shallenberger will share his exceptional images and knowledge on the seabirds of Hawai‘i on Thursday, December 12, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Bishop Museum. The basis for his talk is Dr. Shallenberger’s UH Press book, Hawaiian Birds of the Sea: Nā Manu Kai, which showcases many of his photos accompanied by informative text on the natural history and behavior of Hawai‘i’s seabirds. His illustrated lecture is part in the museum’s Traditions of the Pacific educational program series. Click here for more information and to RSVP online.
The Watersmart Garden: 100 Great Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape
Two of Hawai‘i’s foremost horticulturalists, Fred Rauch and Paul Weissich, have chosen 100 plants perfect for inclusion in Hawai‘i’s xeriscape gardens. These carefully chosen plants, all readily available and fairly simple to maintain, are described and illustrated in this guide to planning a water-saving garden for the tropical climate.
The Watersmart Garden will help you to select and group plants to create a beautiful garden while saving our most precious resource―water. Xeriscape principles are carefully explained and made easy to incorporate in your garden. Plants are organized by size and by water usage, while thoughtful plant notes will guide the interested gardener in planning for everything from the beach garden to a lei maker’s paradise. The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs of each plant and with flowers or foliage in close-up.
November 2013, 256 pages, 224 illustrations
$24.99; ISBN: 978-0-8248-3896-6, paper
A Latitude 20 Book
I Ulu I Ka Aina Book Launch at Na Mea Hawaii
Aloha friends! Please join us at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘i on Sunday, December 8 from 2 to 4 pm for the official launch of I Ulu I Ka ‘Āina, the second volume in the Hawai‘inuiākea series. Enjoy short readings by editor Jonathan Osorio and other contributors, music by Tuahine Serenaders, and light refreshments. For more details, visit the Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge website.
Hiking Guru Stuart Ball Signs at SoulTrex
SoulTrex, a unique outdoor-gear shop in Windward Mall, will host a signing by Stuart Ball, Jr. on Saturday, November 23, from 2 to 4 pm, for his newly released book, The Hikers Guide to Oahu: Updated and Expanded edition. Trek on by and meet the master!
Author of “Kalaupapa: A Collective Memory” to Speak at UHM Library
This Thursday, November 7, at 3:30-5:00 pm, author Anwei Skinsnes Law will give a public lecture on “New Perspectives on the History of Kalaupapa” in Hamilton Library Room 301. The talk is based on her book, Kalaupapa: A Collective Memory, and ties in with the historical exhibit, “A Source of Light, Constant and Never-Fading,” first developed by Ka ʻOhana O Kalaupapa for display at ‘Iolani Palace and now installed on the 1st floor of the library through fall.
Click here for more details.
Korean American Writers Panel on CKS Literary Night
As part of the celebration to mark the 110th anniversary of the first Korean immigration to Hawai‘i, four Hawai‘i-based Korean American writers will read and discuss their work on Thursday, September 26, 7:00 p.m., at the Center for Korean Studies, UH Mānoa. Presenters with UH Press books include novelist Gary Pak (Brothers under a Same Sky; A Ricepaper Airplane; Children of a Fireland) and documentarian Roberta Chang (The Koreans in Hawai‘i: A Pictorial History; When the Korean World in Hawaii Was Young). The other two participants are award-winning author Chris McKinney and poet/fiction writer Brenda Kwon.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see the CKS announcement, or call the Center at (808) 956-7041.
Related link: Listen to the Hawai‘i Public Radio interview with Gary Pak about his most recent book, Brothers under a Same Sky.
NPR Highlights Jazz Musician Gabe Baltazar Jr.
On September 28, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Saturday will broadcast journalist Heidi Chang‘s profile of Gabe Baltazar Jr. as a pioneering Asian American jazz artist. The piece draws from his UH Press book, If It Swings, It’s Music, and features in-person interviews with the legendary saxophonist and coauthor Theo Garneau, along with some of Baltazar’s musical highlights.
Weekend Edition Saturday is a two-hour program hosted by NPR’s Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon. Please check your local NPR-affiliate listings for air times. For those in Hawai‘i, the Weekend Edition show will be on HPR-2, starting at 5 a.m. HST (O‘ahu listeners can tune in to KIPO 89.3).
UPDATE: The story is archived on the NPR site for listening and viewing. Click here.
To hear more from Gabe, Hawai‘i Public Radio‘s The Conversation aired an interview by Chris Vandercook in August last year.
For a sultry treat, listen to Gabe’s performance of Santana’s “Europa” at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum on July 22, 2012. . .when he was 82—fantastic!
Kalaupapa in Ka Wai Ola
The Kepakemapa (September) issue of OHA’s newsmonthly Ka Wai Ola features a review of Kalaupapa: A Collective Memory with material from an interview with author Anwei Skinsnes Law, who has dedicated over forty years to researching and documenting the lives of Kalaupapa residents. An accompanying sidebar on other recent books on Kalaupapa includes Ma‘i Lepera: Disease and Displacement in Nineteenth-Century Hawai‘i by Kerri Inglis. Check out pages 22-23 of Ka Wai Ola by clicking here or link to the complete issue.
As the international coordinator for IDEA – International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement, Ms. Law will soon be attending the 18th International Leprosy Congress in Belgium. UPDATE 9/10/13: Professor Inglis will also be attending the leprosy congress.
Mary Sia’s Chinese Cooking Legacy Lives On
Fond memories of grandmother’s kitchen have been brought to life with the republication of Mary Sia’s Classic Chinese Cookbook earlier this year. Two of Mary Sia’s granddaughters, Laura Ing Baker and Louise Ing, will share bits of family history (some quite remarkable), while teaching a class tomorrow using a selection of popo‘s recipes. The CookSpace Hawaii class quickly sold out weeks ago but you can still listen to this morning’s HPR interview with Louise and Laura to celebrate the legacy of Mary Li Sia—hear a mouth-watering description of noodles with Hoisin sauce (find the recipe on page 164 of the cookbook) and match your memories of growing up in 1960s Honolulu with theirs. For another fun blast from the past, see the photo on this earlier post on the HI SPY tumblr blog.
Here’s a sample recipe from page 58 of Mary Sia’s Classic Chinese Cookbook:
BRAISED PRAWNS
6 prawns
4 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 small onion, sliced
1 bamboo shoot, sliced
¼ cup waterRemove legs but not shell from prawns. Heat pan, add oil, and fry prawns until they turn pink. Add soy sauce, sugar, and sherry. Sauté 2 minutes. Add ginger, onion, and bamboo shoot, and sauté ½ minute. Add water and simmer 1 minute.
Serves 2.
Enjoy!
