The Invisible Wild: Where Ancient Stories Meet Modern Struggles

An Evening with Author Nikki Van De Car

Join us for an intimate evening at the Atherton Performing Arts Studio as kanaka māoli author Nikki Van De Car shares the magic and meaning behind her acclaimed debut young adult novel, The Invisible Wild.

The novel follows sixteen-year-old Emma as she reconnects with her childhood ability to see and communicate with the forest spirits whose sacred home is threatened by a resort development. Through Emma's journey, Van De Car weaves together the ancient legends of Hawaiʻi—including the stories of the Menehune—with the urgent contemporary issues facing our ‘āina today: environmental destruction, cultural preservation, and the complex questions of identity and belonging in modern Hawaiʻi.

Drawing from her own experiences growing up in Volcano, Hawaiʻi, Van De Car will discuss how ancestral stories refuse to be left behind, the vital connection between people and land, and what it means to fight for the wild spaces—both visible and invisible—that shape who we are. She'll share insights about writing authentic Hawaiian representation, why stories of environmental activism and indigenous sovereignty matter now more than ever.