Hawaii Book and Music Festival celebrates story, song

HONOLULU—The Hawaii Book and Music festival returns to the Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds in Honolulu, again with a staggering amount of authors, musicians, storytellers, and speakers, all in “celebration of story and song.”

The two-day family event will feature dozens of local, national, and international authors speaking about their craft in a variety of talk-story sessions in the Authors Pavillion. Keiki will have the chance to meet their favorite characters in person, including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Maya and Miguel, Curious George, and the Cat in the Hat.

Some of Hawaii’s most revered musicians and groups will perform over two days—Cyril Pahinui, Pierre Grill & Genai, and the Royal Hawaiian Band among them. The improvised comedy rock duo Oil in the Alley performs Saturday afternoon. Willow Chang World Dance will perform on Saturday, after a speech by Mayor Peter Carlisle.

Choirs from Mid Pacific Institute, La Pietra, and Kapiolani Community College will perform at the Mission Memorial Auditorium. Comedienne, actress, and now Big Island resident Roseanne Barr will perform Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm.

In addition to the literary focus of the Hawaii Book and Music Festival, it will also feature many forums on the most important issues Hawaii faces today: economics, Native Hawaiian sovereignty (moderated by former Governor John D. Waihee), energy, transportation, and sustainable communities. Hawaii’s leading authorities on these issues will participate.

For a full event schedule, visit www.hawaiibookandmusicfestival.org.

Some notable writers scheduled to speak and/or read at the festival include:

Saturday, May 14, 12:30 p.m., Keiki Stage -  Maya Soetoro-Ng, sister of President Barack Obama and author of the new children’s book Ladder to the Moon.

Saturday, May 14, 1:00 p.m., Authors Pavillion -  Lee Tonouchi, pidgin language author, playwright, researcher and educator will speak with other Bamboo Ridge #98 authors in a forum.

Saturday, May 14, 4:00 p.m., Authors Pavillion -  Alexei Melnick, author of Tweaked, a gritty tale of life in Hawaii in the crystal meth drug community.

Sunday, May 15, 1:00 p.m., Mission Memorial Auditorium -  Sarah Vowell, author of the best-selling revisionist history of Hawaii Unfamiliar Fishes.

Sunday, May 15, 1:00 p.m., Authors Pavillion  -  Greg Ambrose, author of Stories of Rell Sunn: Queen of Makaha.