Kawai Strong Washburn
Hi Lauren, thanks for the question!
There are probably a hundred or more authors I look up to, if we're keeping count, from a variety of genres and styles. I can't possibly list them all here. There are the Hawaiian authors that came before me, like Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Kiana Davenport, and Kristiana Kahakauwila, as well as "genre" authors that have worked hard to transcend the typical boundaries of their genre, like Ursula K. LeGuin, Orson Scott Card, and Octavia Butler; then the more "literary" authors like Toni Morrison, Junot Diaz, Denis Johnson, and Barbara Kingsolver; among poets, I particularly appreciate Danez Smith, Jericho Brown, Aracelis Girmay, Ruth Madievsky, Dani Shapero, and Sam Sax, while from graphic novels I've loved the work of Wendy Pini, Brian K. Vaughan, Frank Miller, and Mira Jacob.
There are SO many authors whose worked I've loved over the years. That list above is just scratching the surface, and is largely just what I grabbed from my conscious, active mind, so it tends toward the more contemporary.
There are probably a hundred or more authors I look up to, if we're keeping count, from a variety of genres and styles. I can't possibly list them all here. There are the Hawaiian authors that came before me, like Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Kiana Davenport, and Kristiana Kahakauwila, as well as "genre" authors that have worked hard to transcend the typical boundaries of their genre, like Ursula K. LeGuin, Orson Scott Card, and Octavia Butler; then the more "literary" authors like Toni Morrison, Junot Diaz, Denis Johnson, and Barbara Kingsolver; among poets, I particularly appreciate Danez Smith, Jericho Brown, Aracelis Girmay, Ruth Madievsky, Dani Shapero, and Sam Sax, while from graphic novels I've loved the work of Wendy Pini, Brian K. Vaughan, Frank Miller, and Mira Jacob.
There are SO many authors whose worked I've loved over the years. That list above is just scratching the surface, and is largely just what I grabbed from my conscious, active mind, so it tends toward the more contemporary.
More Answered Questions
Jasmin Hakes
asked
Kawai Strong Washburn:
Wow, just ordered - so excited to read this, and congratulations! Similarly, I was born and raised in Hilo, and have a book coming out next spring that's based there. I'm curious about so many things about your book and your journey, would love to talk story. For now, how deeply did you go into researching the myths you incorporated into the story (assuming you did, since I haven't gotten ahold of my copy)?
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