Mokupapapa hosts evening of music, verse and story

Courtesy photos Tom Peek, Francis Kai-Hwa Wang, Leomi Bergknut and Patrick Kahakauwila Kamaholelani Landeza will come together for an evening of storytelling July 18 at Mokupapapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo.
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A diverse group of storytellers will come together from 5:30-7 p.m. July 18 in downtown Hilo for an enchanting celebration of words and music in “Evoking Islands: An evening of Hawai‘i Song, Poetry and Prose” at Mokupapapa Discovery Center.

The program is inspired by Hawaii’s talk story heritage and the deep relationship to the archipelago’s natural wonders and enduring cultural traditions.

Four unique voices will evoke the islands:

• Patrick Kahakauwila Kamaholelani Landeza, award-winning slack key artist, author of “From The Island Of Berkeley, Memoirs From A California-Born Hawaiian” and winner of the 2019 Na Hoku Hanohano Kiho‘alu Legacy Award.

• Leomi Bergknut, a Hilo-born writer whose poetry and short stories reflect the strong women of her Hawaiian, Japanese and Korean ancestry.

• Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, Keaau poet and essayist, UH-Hilo creative writing lecturer and author of the chapbook “Where the Lava Meets the Sea.”

• Tom Peek, Volcano writer, former eruption ranger and author of the award winning Hawai’i novel “Daughters of Fire.”

This event is part of the center’s Third Thursday by the Bay. Admission is free.

For more information, contact Clayton Watkins at 933-8184 or clayton.watkins@noaa.gov.

The Mokupapapa Discover Center is located at 76 Kamehameha Ave.