When I was initially approached by my friend (amazing scholar and writer) Greg Dvorak to join the Honolulu Biennial, I agreed but with reservations. The Honolulu Biennial Foundation’s mission statement proudly proclaims its support for local arts infrastructure with a global outreach by presenting an arts festival. Greg told me all the huge names that would be included in this… Read More
I just returned from a trip to Minnesota, where I had been asked by the non-profit Climate Generation to perform for their 10 year anniversary benefit dinner. Initially, I was meant to just speak. But I decided, kind of as a creative challenge, to volunteer to write them a new poem that would connect the issues of climate change in… Read More
I’ve been following what’s been happening in Dakota, reading updates from Dallas Goldtooth’s facebook profile, saving links and reading them when I can. If time/money/baby permitted, I’d love to be out there fighting alongside these tribes who are standing for something so purely simple – clean water. The lack of media attention is shocking also. In one of the articles I… Read More
About a month ago, our non-profit Jo-Jikum organized our first ever Jo-Jikum Climate Change Arts Camp. The camp brought together over 30 high school students to the College of the Marshall Islands. During the one week camp, our art and poet instructors taught students how to harness . We drew inspiration from presentations on climate change effects on our islands… Read More
More than seven years ago my mother emailed me asking if I knew the work of Julian Aguon, a Chammoro writer, activist, and United Nations recognized expert on international law. I didn’t – I had heard of his books, but my knowledge of his work stopped there. My mother happened to be hosting him during this period because her good… Read More
“Fishbone Hair” is a poem that was written after the death of my niece, Bianca Lanki, who passed away from leukemia when she was only 8 years old. It’s a reflection on the many Marshallese who’ve passed away from cancer, and other radiation related illnesses, and the legacy of the US nuclear testing program on our islands. It’s a… Read More
“A book to be read slowly. Savored. Admired for it’s precision of language and emotion.” – Alice Walker