Creative Writing Alumni

Alumni of the Creative Writing Program, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, in alphabetical order and some of their achievements:

  • Tia Ballantine, after teaching creative writing, FYW, and research methods as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Tampa, moved in June ’07 to Oakland, CA. In 2006, her manuscript Eve and the Archangel was selected as a finalist for the Donald Justice Poetry Award. Individual poems appeared in national and international literary journals. Ballantine is the editor of cwuhm-l poetry listserv, supported by the University of Hawai‘i. She may be contacted at tiaballantine@earthlink.net.
  • Robert Barclay published Melal: A Novel of the Pacific (University of Hawai‘i Press, 2002) which was short listed for the Kiriyama Prize. It was also selected by Barnes & Noble for its Discover Great New Writers series. It also won the Hawaii Book Publishers’ Association Ka Palapala Po’okela Award for Writing Excellence. Presently he teaches at Windward Community College.
  • Justin Chin’s books include Burden of Ashes, Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms, Bite Hard, and Title Mongrel and Justin Morgan Had a Horse. He lives in San Francisco.
  • Eric Chock is the co-founder of Bamboo Ridge Press, where he is also co-editor. Widely published, he is the author of two books of poetry, Ten Thousand Wishes and Last Days Here, both published by Bamboo Ridge Press. Awarded the Hawai‘i Award for Literature in 1996, he teaches at the University of Hawai‘i-West O‘ahu.
  • The late Mahealani Dudoit was the founder of the Native Hawaiian literary arts journal, ‘Ōiwi. She mentored and published many Hawaiian writers.
  • Clint Frakes graduated with his PhD in 2007. He is a former chief editor of Hawai’i Review. His poetry appears in Best New Poets 2008.
  • Steven Taylor Goldsberry is the author of The Writer’s Book of Wisdom, MAUI the Demigod, Luzon, Over Hawai‘i, The First 16 Secrets of Chi, and many other books. He is a professor of English at UHM.
  • Dana Naone Hall is a poet and lives on Maui, where she is involved in Native Hawaiian issues. She edited the groundbreaking anthology Malama: Hawaiian Land and Water.
  • Marie Hara has published Bananaheart and Other Stories and coedited Intersecting Circles (Bamboo Ridge Press). She is an assistant professor in the Department of English, UHM.
  • Steve Heller has published The Man Who Drank a Thousand Beers, The Automotive History of Lucky Kellerman, and others. He heads the Creative Writing Program at Antioch University-Los Angeles.
  • Ku‘ualoha Ho‘omanawanui’s poetry has appeared in local, national and international journals in English and in translation. She is the Chief Editor of ‘Ōiwi: a Native Hawaiian Journal. She is an assistant professor in the Department of English, UHM.
  • Ann Inoshita‘s first book of poems, Manoa Stream, was published by Kahuaomanoa Press in 2007. Her poetry appears inBamboo Ridge, Trout, and Hawai’i Review among other journals.
  • Lisa Kanae’s chapbook, Sista Tongue (Tinfish Press), is widely used in the classrooms in Hawai‘i. She is at work on a collection of prose forthcoming from Bamboo Ridge Press in 2009. She teaches at Kapi‘olani Community College.
  • Nora Keller has published Comfort Woman and Fox Girl. She was the Distinguished Visiting Writer at UHM in the fall of 2004. Among her awards are the 1995 Pushcart Prize, and the 1998 American Book Award.
  • Laureen Kwock writes under a pen name, “Clarice Peters,” and has published fourteen Regency Romance novels under that pseudonym, and one under her own name.
  • R. Zamora Linmark, has one published novel, Rolling the R’s; a book of poetry, Prime Time Apparitions; and a coffee table book, a collaboration with a Japanese photographer. He also has held a Fulbright fellowship and residencies in Spain and Japan. He was the UHM Distinguished Visiting Writer in Spring 2007.
  • Juliet Kono Lee’s books include Hilo Rains, Tsunami Years and Ho‘ohulu Park and the Pepsodent Smile (Bamboo Ridge Press). She teaches at Leeward Community College, O’ahu.
  • Darrell Lum is the co-founder and co-editor of Bamboo Ridge Press. Widely anthologized, he is the author of Sun and Pass On, No Pass Back! He won the Hawai‘i Award for Literature in 1996, and is currently a student advisor at UHM.
  • Barry Masuda has published poems in both local and national literary journals.
  • Chris McKinney has two novels from Mutual Publishing, Tattoo and The Queen of Tears.
  • Anne Misawa already has an extensive career in motion pictures. She is presently a student in the Academy of Creative Media, UHM.
  • Rodney Morales has published The Speed of Darkness (Bamboo Ridge Press) and When the Shark Bites (University of Hawai‘i Press). He edited Ho’i ho’i hou: a Tribute to George Helm. He is an associate professor in the Department of English, UHM.
  • Lisa Ottiger graduated with her PhD in 2008. An excerpt from her dissertation appears in Best New Poets 2008 selected by Poet Laureate of the United States, Mark Strand. She is a former poetry editor of Hawai’i Review.
  • Gary Pak’s books include The Watcher of Waipuna and Other Stories, A Ricepaper Airplane, Children of a Fireland andLanguage of the Geckos and Other Stories. A book of personal essays on contemporary Korean culture is forthcoming. He is an associate professor of English at UHM.
  • Anne Panning’s first book of stories,The Price of Eggs, was published by Coffeehouse Press in 1992. In 2006 Super Americawon the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Her creative work appears in many noted national journals and the Best American Essays series. She teaches creative writing at SUNY-Brockport.
  • Steve Rinehardt is the author of Built in a Day: A Novel and Kick in the Head: Stories.
  • Michelle Cruz Skinner has published two books, Mango Seasons and Balikbayan.
  • Cathy Song’s books include Picture Bride, Frameless Windows, Squares of Light, School Figures and Land of Bliss. Among many national awards, she won the Hawai‘i Award for Literature in 1993, and the Yale Series of Younger Poets award in 1983. Her poetry is widely published.
  • Constance Han Stewart has published a short story collection, Lost in Paradise.
  • Sage Takehiro‘s first book of poetry, Honua, was published by Kahuaomanoa Press with support from Kuleana ‘Ōiwi Press.
  • Mary Troy has published Joe Baker is Dead, Cookie Lily, The Alibi Café and Other Stories (SMU Press, University of Missouri Press). She now runs the MFA program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and edits Natural Bridge.
  • Lee Tonouchi has published Da Word and Living Pidgin: Contemplations on Pidgin Culture. He also compiled and edited Da Kine Dictionary. He is a co-editor of Hybolics. He teaches at Kapi‘olani Community College.
  • Samrat Upadhyay has published Arresting God in Kathmandu and The Guru of Love. He is on the creative writing faculty at Indiana University.
  • Sylvia Watanabe has published a short story collection, Talking to the Dead. She lives in Michigan.
  • Cedric Yamanaka has published a collection of short stories with the University of Hawai‘i Press, In Good Company. He is a news reporter for one of the major television stations in Honolulu.
  • Noted and renowned author Lois Anne Yamanaka’s books include Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, Blue’s Hanging, Empty Heart, Heads by Harry, Name Me Nobody and Father of the Four Passages.