Maunakea has been in the headlines recently. Former Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority head John De Fries was named the executive director of the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority last month.
Before that, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs filed a lawsuit to dissolve the Maunakea Authority, which is tasked with assuming responsibility for managing the mountain from the University of Hawaiʻi.
The Conversation thought it would be a good time to talk to Big Island author Tom Peek about his new novel, "Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawaiʻi."
It centers on a young vagabond running from America's turmoil who encounters a mysterious domain of deities on the mountain — and the Native Hawaiians who revere them. It's not unlike the journey that Peek took from the shores of the Mississippi River to the lava fields of Puna.
You can find Peek's novel in bookstores and through All Night Books publishing. Peek will talk to the Big Island Press Club on April 13 and host a reading at Native Books in Honolulu on May 4.
This story aired on The Conversation on April 2, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
