Top Local Authors Gather at Bishop Museum

The islands’ top authors will gather at Bishop Museum’s Hawaiian Hall Atrium on Saturday, May 9th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for the 16th Annual Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards “Book Sale & Signing Celebration.”  Proceeds from the book sale will benefit Read to Me International, Hawai‘i Literacy, and Bishop Museum.

Nearly a dozen authors are expected to attend including:  Chai Chaowaseree, winner of the Cookbook Award of Excellence for The Island Bistro Cookbook; Caren Loebel-Friend, illustrator of Naupaka, winner of the Children’s Hawaiian Culture Award of Excellence; and author of Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawaii?, Jon Van Dyke. 

Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards, hosted by the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association, recognize the finest books published during 2008 and honor individuals involved their creation.  This year’s field included 117 nominations from a record-setting 92 separate book projects entered in 13 categories.  These were narrowed to two awards – Award of Excellence and Honorable Mention – given in each category.  The awardees were determined by a selected group of librarians, booksellers, educators, publishing and media professionals, and others in the book community.

Bishop Museum Press is pleased to announce recognition of two of its publications receiving awards – Sublime Beauty:  Hawai‘i’s Trees, and Naupaka.

The Samuel M. Kamakau Award for the Hawai‘i Book of the Year, as well as the recipient of the John Dominis Holt Award, for lifetime contribution to Hawai‘i book publishing, will be announced at the May 9 award ceremony.

For more information about this event please call 848-4189.

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