Talking Story
Learning ‘Ōlelo: uji
uji (OO jee) Adj. Used as an expression of disgust at something really pilau from sweat socks to the kid who eats the paste during arts and crafts. Said when something makes your skin crawl. Example English: That garbage is smelly! Pidgin: Uji! Note: ‘Ōlelo is a...
Argo Revelations
I recently watched the movie Argo. It’s based on the true story of when the US Embassy in Iran was taken over by militants in 1979 and its staff was held hostage for a staggering 444 days. Six embassy staffers escaped to the Canadian Ambassador’s house where they hid...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: One
one: (wŭn) Adj. Singular, a or an. Example English: Do you have an ‘ukulele? Pidgin: Eh, get one ‘ukulele? Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click...
Messing with Telemarketers
Like most people, I have a cell phone. Everyone in our house does. It’s come to the point where the only people who call our house line are elderly relatives who think it costs too much to call a cell phone—and telemarketers. I know all about do not call lists and...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: Every Time
every time: (ĕv‘rē tīm) Adj. Hawaiian Pidgin for all the time, always, habitually. Example English: Char Siu eats saimin often. Pidgin: Ho, Char Siu, every time she go eat saimin! Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current...
Na Keiki Ka Ua Kilihune Hula Halau
On Saturday, November 17, 2012, at the Layton Barnes & Noble, Na Keiki Ka Ua Kilihune Hula Halau performed at my book signing for One Boy, No Water. After a welcoming oli, Kumu Hula Barcarse taught us about the Hawaiian alphabet through a song and hula I learned...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: Fo’days
Fo'days: (Fo' DAZE) Adj. Hawaiian Pidgin for a very long time, too long, forever, a lot, too much. Example "Wow, Uncle Kahana, you get mango fo'days!" Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin...
When Religion and Fiction Collide
All right, I confess. In One Boy, No Water, when I first wrote that Zader was allergic to water I didn’t think all the implications through. I was looking for a way to explain all the fiery pain and blisters that appear when water touched his skin that Liz, his...
An Evening at the Cirque du Soleil
Friday night the family and some friends went to see Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam. I’d seen other Cirque du Soleil shows, so I knew what to expect. My son Aaron not so much. “Clowns!” He shuddered as we walked up the steps. “Yeah. I told you it was a circus.” “You’ve...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: Radical
Radical (RAD-ee-koh) Adj. Hawaiian Pidgin for extreme, pushing limits and boundaries, on the edge. Sometimes shortened to "rad" or used as "radical out" to describe something radical to the max. Example "Ho, Jay was on the edge of his board balancing j'like he was...
Plotting Along,
Writing By the Seat of My Pants
Once a publisher makes the sign of the cross over your work, blessing it and pronouncing it fit for public consumption, a lot of people want to know about your writing process. It’s kinda like being the fat kid who suddenly loses a lot of weight; everybody wants to...
Aunty Mary Kawena Pukui
When you ask anyone with any knowledge of Hawaiian history or culture to name the most culturally significant scholars who preserved ancient knowledge, Mary Kawena Pukui will top the list. More than any single person I can think of, her work paved the way for rebirth...
‘Ōlelo No‘eau
In One Boy, No Water each chapter begins with a word or phrase in Hawaiian or Pidgin followed by its definition. This structure uses ‘ōlelo no‘eau, wise or entertaining sayings that reveal a hidden truth. Hawaiian relies heavily...
Uncle Dave’s Green Flash
My Uncle Dave Hopkins was a master of the green flash, that split-second when the sun dips below the horizon and a brilliant green flash lights the sky at sunset. It’s thanks to him that I saw it as often as I did growing up in Kalama Valley. We’d all be piled into...
Interview with Illustrator Corey Egbert
Today’s post is an interview with Corey Egbert, illustrator for One Boy, No Water. Corey was gracious enough drop by to answer a few questions. Did you always want to be an illustrator? No. When I was 6 years old, I wanted to be a scientist/nature photographer. Then...
Myth Understanding
With the launch party for One Boy, No Water just ten days away, I’ve been doing some publicity interviews. (I know!) One of the questions that keeps popping up is about the genesis of the story. People want to know which Hawaiian myth or legend it comes from and if...
Grammie’s Pilau Rice
My part-Hawaiian grandmother makes wonderful rice pilaf. It's a recipe she learned from her Portuguese mother and she made it often when we came to dinner, usually with a ham. Buttery and full of mushrooms, light brown with beef stock and slightly sticky, to my sister...
Stabbed by a Swordfish
Ancient Hawaiians loved word play, riddles, and puns. Songs, stories, poems, and even ordinary conversations could be interpreted on many levels—the more, the merrier—resulting in the ultimate inside joke. Fortunately for us, eminent Hawaiiana scholars Mary Kawena...
Channeling Her Inner Sumo
Guest Blog by Jennifer Griffith
Author of Big in Japan
Today's blog is courtesy of Jennifer Griffith, author of Big in Japan and member of the Jolly Fish Press 'ohana. Her newest novel is a fish out of water story about a plus-sized Texan who goes to Japan on a quick business trip, but ends up living in a sumo stable...
One Boy, No Water
Book Launch!
To tide you over until the release date, here's an excerpt from chapter 1, The End of Summer Fun. I was walking toward Jay when it happened. ‘Ālika threw a Dixie cup of water on me. “Zader!” Jay shrieked. The water hit my shoulder and upper left arm. Hot lava fingers...