Every Wednesday, one of our awesome HPR besties will keep you posted on happenings across our Islands that we're most stoked about. While each of us has a different perspective and set of interests, we all share a goal of helping you stay curious and connected across our Hawaiian Islands. Not yet subscribed? Subscribe today to see what's on around town, and to learn about our Social Club contributors.
This week, we hear from Kyla Herrmann, HPR's On-Air Campaign & Community Events Producer.
HPR’s Social Club — it's your guide to unique, can't-miss events across the islands. Sign up for the HPR Social Club.
Have an event to share? You can submit it to our HPR Community Calendar for consideration. We might feature it in a future newsletter or on the air!
Happy Pride Social Clubbers!
June is humming with pride and poetry: it is National Pride Month (and a reminder that Hawaiʻi/Honolulu Pride Month is in October, twice the merriment).
In my eyes, this week seems to be poetry week, and words are everywhere. Our Live from the Atherton with Lee Tonouchi event (which is sold out) is this Thursday at HPR, but breathe easy, it'll be recorded and screened later for those who can't make it to the room.
If you're wiggling to write RIGHT NOW, we have something for the early birds to join. Oʻahu's writing community, Words By You @wordsby.you presents “Generative Feedback Writing: Letting Our Past Words Guide Us” with Zoë Loos at Box Jelly in Honolulu, Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. Come early to settle in, bring a jacket and your favorite writing tools, and let yesterday's drafts teach today's lines.
Suppose you're a midday sun chaser. Later that same day, from 2 to 4 p.m., drop by the Summer Lit Jam & Poetry Grill with Bamboo Ridge Press X Hoʻolana Publishing at da Shop in Kaimukī for a garage-style afternoon of readings, music, talk-story, and a collaboratively made community poem celebrating writers from Hoʻolana Journal 01 and Bamboo Ridge Press.
IF you've still got gas in the tank, or are tapping in for the first time, check out the Oʻahu Indie Book Festival pop-up, which fills Saturday evening with readings, signings, and bookish treasure hunting! That's from 6 to 8 p.m. on June 6, and you can RSVP here.
Saturday is proving to be a day with a little something for everyone (by everyone, I mean creative writing nerds like me)!
Keep scrolling for more events. If you have something you'd like to share with the HPR team, submit it to our community calendar. We might feature it in a future Social Club newsletter.
Happy creating!
Kyla
HPR Social Club's Picks of the Week:
Please note: Event details may change. Check organizer or event websites for the most up-to-date information.
OʻAHU: POPPIN' UP - Oʻahu Indie Book Festival YA & Adult Pop-up
Oʻahu Indie Book Festival YA & Adult Pop-up
Volcanic Rock Gym
161 Hamakua Dr. in Kailua
Saturday, June 6, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Meet 13 local authors, purchase and get books signed, attend readings and panels, and take part in a scavenger hunt with prizes. Enjoy complimentary coffee and tea and with baked goods by Saendo's Bakeshop available for purchase. Free and open to all
HAWAIʻI ISLAND: IMPROV EVE - Improv Mashup: Play It Forward & HI-larious
Improv Mashup: Play It Forward & HI-larious
Aloha Theatre
79-7384 Mamalahoa Hwy in Kealakekua
Friday, June 5, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Two Hawaiʻi Island improv troupes combine for a fast-paced night of spontaneous comedy and audience-driven scenes. $15-20, tickets available online
HAWAIʻI ISLAND: SKY'S NO LIMIT - Hale Kanikapila Presents: Astronomy on Tap
Image: Astronomy on Tap Hawaiʻi / @astronomyontaphawaii
Hale Kanikapila Presents: Astronomy on Tap
Hale Kanikapila
168 Keawe St. in Hilo
Wednesday, June 10, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Astronomy on Tap Hawaiʻi invites you an evening at Hale Kanikapila to enjoy an evening of astronomy and trivia with speakers from the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy. Willem Hoogendam will show us that not everything in our Universe is changing slowly in his talk “Time Domain Astronomy Near and Far” and Rena Lee will present “Exploring Extreme Earths”, introducing ultra-short-period planets. Free and open to all, food and beverage available for purchase
KAUAʻI: CELEBRATING PRIDE - Annual Kauaʻi Pride Parade & Festival
Photo: Kauaʻi Pride Parade & Festival / kauaiprideparade.com
Annual Kauaʻi Pride Parade & Festival
Saturday, June 6
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. on Rice Street in Līhuʻe
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Festival on the Kauaʻi County Lawn
Join in the 8th year of celebrating peace, acceptance and unity for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or background. This family-friendly celebration of community, visibility, and aloha begins with a parade starting at Vidinha Stadium and follows with festivities at the Historic Community Lawn. Free and open to all
MAUI: EMPOWERED RESOURCES - Housing & Resource Fair
Housing & Resource Fair
Royal Lahaina Resort
2780 Kekaa Dr. in Kaʻanapali
Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Head to Kaʻanapali for a day of connection and support where attendees can learn about housing programs, view rental listings, and speak directly with service providers and peers. If you have any questions, contact Global Empowerment Mission at hawaii@gem.org or by phone at (808) 495-6747. Free and open to all
Help shape the future of HPR: Join the CAB
Love HPR and want to get involved on a deeper level? Apply to join our Community Advisory Board. Your feedback as a volunteer advisor helps shape programs and events. Listeners from ALL islands are encouraged to apply or submit nominations by June 26.
Learn more and nominate a friend or apply now.
Playwright collects 'memory beads' to keep family stories alive
June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, and a new original play offers a local take on themes of memory loss and identity.
“Memory Beads” is showing now at Kumu Kahua Theatre through June 28. The play strings together scenes, or beads, from five generations of a family's history. Joni collects 'memory beads' to counteract her fears that a family history of Alzheimer's Disease will strike her mother or herself.
Local playwright Diane Aoki is behind the original production. She spoke with The Conversation about turning her own experience as a caregiver into a reflection on the fragility of memory and the importance of family. Listen to the interview
