In this section, we're pleased to shine the spotlight on eight new members who have signed up in 2021!
Susan Cysewski
(Possible Pseudonym) Warznak!
Meet Susan Cysewski
Susan joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May, 2021. She lives in Kailua-Kona.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I learned about Hawaii Writer’s Guild through an online search for writer’s clubs in Kona. After reviewing the HWG website, I found it had many of the elements I was looking for in a writing community: networking, reviews, support, sales and publicity.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I have been writing nonfiction and creative nonfiction in my marketing and graphic design business for years. I also wrote newsletters for clubs and articles in journalism school. I decided I wanted to write fiction about 15 years ago based on my travels, observations and the ideas I couldn’t express in art.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I do not have any fiction published. I am currently finishing a Bachelor’s Degree in English -Creative Writing with a focus on fiction which will be completed in October, 2021. At that point, I can dedicate myself to finishing my novel and begin research on the next in a series.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I am currently working on an international crime/thriller about a young museum worker from Philadelphia who embarks on her dream vacation to Sicily. Her courage is tested, her strengths revealed, and her future uncertain as she becomes the unwitting pawn between battling international artifact dealers.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I have lived in Hawaii for almost 28 years, where I have been a graphic designer and painter. During the pandemic year, I decided to use my time to get a degree in creative writing so that I would have a better grasp of the literary elements that make a good novel. It’s been an interesting journey studying writers I would not have chosen to read and exploring the various forms of fiction. The positive feedback I have received from each of my writing professors encourages me to continue on this new path.
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Susan joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May, 2021. She lives in Kailua-Kona.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I learned about Hawaii Writer’s Guild through an online search for writer’s clubs in Kona. After reviewing the HWG website, I found it had many of the elements I was looking for in a writing community: networking, reviews, support, sales and publicity.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I have been writing nonfiction and creative nonfiction in my marketing and graphic design business for years. I also wrote newsletters for clubs and articles in journalism school. I decided I wanted to write fiction about 15 years ago based on my travels, observations and the ideas I couldn’t express in art.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I do not have any fiction published. I am currently finishing a Bachelor’s Degree in English -Creative Writing with a focus on fiction which will be completed in October, 2021. At that point, I can dedicate myself to finishing my novel and begin research on the next in a series.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I am currently working on an international crime/thriller about a young museum worker from Philadelphia who embarks on her dream vacation to Sicily. Her courage is tested, her strengths revealed, and her future uncertain as she becomes the unwitting pawn between battling international artifact dealers.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I have lived in Hawaii for almost 28 years, where I have been a graphic designer and painter. During the pandemic year, I decided to use my time to get a degree in creative writing so that I would have a better grasp of the literary elements that make a good novel. It’s been an interesting journey studying writers I would not have chosen to read and exploring the various forms of fiction. The positive feedback I have received from each of my writing professors encourages me to continue on this new path.
##
Shamas Hereth
Meet Shamas Hereth
Shamas Hereth joined Hawaii Writers Guild in early 2021. He lives in Waipahu, HI.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I sought a writing community after graduating from university and moving back home. Google provided.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I started writing my senior year of high school. I still struggle with comfortably embracing the title of “writer”. The process of self-identification really started after I got my first submission ever published in a university newspaper.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
A couple.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I’m currently working on a few projects: a digital web comic (self-illustrated), a performative epic poem podcast, a poetry collection, a first-person anti-hero-in-a-corrupt-hero-society novel, and an eldritch dystopian fantasy series.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I’m generally a compassionate critic. I reserve a particular animosity for literary elitists and pseudo/performative-intellectuals. I write from experience— my works in speculative fiction, and especially poetry, will include exact snippets of my life, or at least grand exaggerations/reimaginings. I write in sporadic bursts, especially now as I balance working two jobs and enrolling in a teaching certification program. While I don’t seek to please everybody—in fact, I’d say I purposely strive to disturb and challenge readers—I do seek the actual, close-to-objective-as-possible effects of my work. Which I suppose is the truth I’m proudest of: I put my all into my writing, and I’m intent on seeing my work ripped to shreds so long as it’s constructive and not coming solely from another writer’s/reader’s own biases.
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Shamas Hereth joined Hawaii Writers Guild in early 2021. He lives in Waipahu, HI.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I sought a writing community after graduating from university and moving back home. Google provided.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I started writing my senior year of high school. I still struggle with comfortably embracing the title of “writer”. The process of self-identification really started after I got my first submission ever published in a university newspaper.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
A couple.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I’m currently working on a few projects: a digital web comic (self-illustrated), a performative epic poem podcast, a poetry collection, a first-person anti-hero-in-a-corrupt-hero-society novel, and an eldritch dystopian fantasy series.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I’m generally a compassionate critic. I reserve a particular animosity for literary elitists and pseudo/performative-intellectuals. I write from experience— my works in speculative fiction, and especially poetry, will include exact snippets of my life, or at least grand exaggerations/reimaginings. I write in sporadic bursts, especially now as I balance working two jobs and enrolling in a teaching certification program. While I don’t seek to please everybody—in fact, I’d say I purposely strive to disturb and challenge readers—I do seek the actual, close-to-objective-as-possible effects of my work. Which I suppose is the truth I’m proudest of: I put my all into my writing, and I’m intent on seeing my work ripped to shreds so long as it’s constructive and not coming solely from another writer’s/reader’s own biases.
##
Amanda JS Kaufmann
Meet Amanda JS Kaufmann
Amanda joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May 2021. She lives in Koloa, Kauai.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was aware of the Kauai Writers Conference, which I’m planning to attend this November, and through Web research, learned more about the Hawaii Writers Guild. As someone entering a new noncorporate and arts-focused phase of life (writing/ photography/filmmaking), I knew I wanted to connect with other working and aspiring artists, because community is the bedrock upon which the arts exist.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I was a voracious reader as a kid and young adult, and I ran the school newspaper in high school. So, I suppose that’s when I first identified myself as a writer and editor. I majored in creative writing in college and went on to work in both print and multimedia publishing for the bulk of my career, and I also taught writing in the college classroom.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I worked as a professional copywriter and copy editor, and you’ll still find some of my old technical articles if you Google me. Creatively speaking, I’ve released a few short films that I wrote—they’re on my YouTube channel—and I just published an ebook of “punk haiku” called Rage, Recovery, and Calm: A Year in Poetry, which is available through Amazon and other retailers. I blog regularly at Diary of a GenXer on Tumblr (diarygenxer) and would love to develop some of that material into a film.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I’m working on spoken word around Rage, Recovery, and Calm, and I invite people to partake in that! (Check out @ragerecoverycalmyearinpoetry on Instagram.) I recently wrote a couple of feature-film scripts: one was about Bigfoot, and another was an adaptation of a book about time-traveling mobster pirates. That content is in the hands of the filmmakers, so I’m not sure what will come of it, though I try to encourage them. I also do photography as WordWorthyPhotos (Etsy) and handwrite haiku on the prints—I’m working to establish a network for reaching patrons. Right now, nobody knows I’m here doing any of this, so most of my time at the moment is spent on the hardest thing for me to do personally: social media marketing.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
Although I’m pretty introverted these days, I’m looking forward to gatherings and meeting people and collaborating. I’m very receptive to projects and well versed in making things happen, so I hope people will get in touch. Scriptwriting, essay writing, poetry … These are the genres I love quite a lot. I’m also highly supportive of environmental and animal causes and would be happy to help move along any related material.
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Amanda joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May 2021. She lives in Koloa, Kauai.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was aware of the Kauai Writers Conference, which I’m planning to attend this November, and through Web research, learned more about the Hawaii Writers Guild. As someone entering a new noncorporate and arts-focused phase of life (writing/ photography/filmmaking), I knew I wanted to connect with other working and aspiring artists, because community is the bedrock upon which the arts exist.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I was a voracious reader as a kid and young adult, and I ran the school newspaper in high school. So, I suppose that’s when I first identified myself as a writer and editor. I majored in creative writing in college and went on to work in both print and multimedia publishing for the bulk of my career, and I also taught writing in the college classroom.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I worked as a professional copywriter and copy editor, and you’ll still find some of my old technical articles if you Google me. Creatively speaking, I’ve released a few short films that I wrote—they’re on my YouTube channel—and I just published an ebook of “punk haiku” called Rage, Recovery, and Calm: A Year in Poetry, which is available through Amazon and other retailers. I blog regularly at Diary of a GenXer on Tumblr (diarygenxer) and would love to develop some of that material into a film.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I’m working on spoken word around Rage, Recovery, and Calm, and I invite people to partake in that! (Check out @ragerecoverycalmyearinpoetry on Instagram.) I recently wrote a couple of feature-film scripts: one was about Bigfoot, and another was an adaptation of a book about time-traveling mobster pirates. That content is in the hands of the filmmakers, so I’m not sure what will come of it, though I try to encourage them. I also do photography as WordWorthyPhotos (Etsy) and handwrite haiku on the prints—I’m working to establish a network for reaching patrons. Right now, nobody knows I’m here doing any of this, so most of my time at the moment is spent on the hardest thing for me to do personally: social media marketing.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
Although I’m pretty introverted these days, I’m looking forward to gatherings and meeting people and collaborating. I’m very receptive to projects and well versed in making things happen, so I hope people will get in touch. Scriptwriting, essay writing, poetry … These are the genres I love quite a lot. I’m also highly supportive of environmental and animal causes and would be happy to help move along any related material.
##
Jim Larsen
Meet Jim Larsen
Jim Larsen joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March, 2021. He lives in Pahoa, Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was curious if there was a network of writers in Hawaii, so I did a little searching on the internet and there it was: Hawaii Writers Guild. Since that was exactly the kind of network I had hoped to find, it made sense to join. I enjoy connecting with fellow writers to hear about their experiences and enjoy their creative output as well as sharing my own.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I began writing in high school. A hobby of mine was to write scripts and shoot movies with my Super 8 film camera and my VHS camcorder starring my friends. Writing those scripts made me think of myself as a writer. It was then that I began to truly appreciate the art and skill of storytelling.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I directed a screenplay in the ‘90’s that I wrote. That movie was picked up by Troma Entertainment and enjoys cult movie status to this day. It is an over-the-top zombie movie called Buttcrack. I have also self-published a number of books including: What’s Tarot Got to Do with It? The Fool’s Path to Enlightenment; The Double Oh Fool Guide to Tarot Mastery; The Pieces of You Tarot; Knowings from the Silence: Simple Wisdom for an Enlightened Life; and a work of humorous fiction titled The Chronicles of Spoony vols. 1-3: Tales of a Completely Fucked Up Kid.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I am novelizing the screenplay I wrote in the ‘90’s, (Buttcrack). I am delving deeper into the characters and taking the story beyond what happens in the produced movie. I get more and more comments from fans of the movie asking about a sequel. Over 20 years have gone by since that movie was made, and everybody involved in it has moved on with their lives, including myself, so a film sequel really isn’t a possibility. I can continue the story though, in a novel. I am also working on a new tarot card book as well as gathering thoughts for the next series of “Spoony” Chronicles which will pick up immediately where volume 3 left off and explore Spoony’s relationship with his father.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I essentially have two personalities as a writer. One personality loves storytelling and creating weird scenarios and crazy characters who are finding their way through life while dealing with problems we all deal with, but maybe doing it in ways most people wouldn’t. My other writing personality delves into the connections between our earthly existence and our divine nature. Whatever I’m writing, I enjoy the process of discovery. I don’t always know where a piece is taking me, but as I get into it and the words are flowing, I learn an awful lot about a whole lot of things. That is what writing is really all about to me.
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Jim Larsen joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March, 2021. He lives in Pahoa, Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was curious if there was a network of writers in Hawaii, so I did a little searching on the internet and there it was: Hawaii Writers Guild. Since that was exactly the kind of network I had hoped to find, it made sense to join. I enjoy connecting with fellow writers to hear about their experiences and enjoy their creative output as well as sharing my own.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I began writing in high school. A hobby of mine was to write scripts and shoot movies with my Super 8 film camera and my VHS camcorder starring my friends. Writing those scripts made me think of myself as a writer. It was then that I began to truly appreciate the art and skill of storytelling.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
I directed a screenplay in the ‘90’s that I wrote. That movie was picked up by Troma Entertainment and enjoys cult movie status to this day. It is an over-the-top zombie movie called Buttcrack. I have also self-published a number of books including: What’s Tarot Got to Do with It? The Fool’s Path to Enlightenment; The Double Oh Fool Guide to Tarot Mastery; The Pieces of You Tarot; Knowings from the Silence: Simple Wisdom for an Enlightened Life; and a work of humorous fiction titled The Chronicles of Spoony vols. 1-3: Tales of a Completely Fucked Up Kid.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I am novelizing the screenplay I wrote in the ‘90’s, (Buttcrack). I am delving deeper into the characters and taking the story beyond what happens in the produced movie. I get more and more comments from fans of the movie asking about a sequel. Over 20 years have gone by since that movie was made, and everybody involved in it has moved on with their lives, including myself, so a film sequel really isn’t a possibility. I can continue the story though, in a novel. I am also working on a new tarot card book as well as gathering thoughts for the next series of “Spoony” Chronicles which will pick up immediately where volume 3 left off and explore Spoony’s relationship with his father.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I essentially have two personalities as a writer. One personality loves storytelling and creating weird scenarios and crazy characters who are finding their way through life while dealing with problems we all deal with, but maybe doing it in ways most people wouldn’t. My other writing personality delves into the connections between our earthly existence and our divine nature. Whatever I’m writing, I enjoy the process of discovery. I don’t always know where a piece is taking me, but as I get into it and the words are flowing, I learn an awful lot about a whole lot of things. That is what writing is really all about to me.
##
Hanah Michnya
Meet Hannah Michnya
Hannah joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May of 2021. She lives in Waikiki with her partner and her plants.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I found HWG when searching for any kind of connection to other writers here in Hawai’i. I moved here early in 2020 and have had a hard time meeting other people due to COVID. Simultaneously, due to COVID, I started writing more frequently and with more intention than I ever had before. 2020 was the first year that I started considering writing as more than a fun escape or hobby. I was hoping to find people to fit in with both of the new COVID-sanctioned changes in my life, and I found HWG with a quick Google search!
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I first wrote a short story when I was seven years old for an assignment in school. It was supposed to be scary for Halloween, and I remember being so excited to share mine and hear the stories that my fellow students wrote. Quickly, I realized they did not care for this exercise as much, did not put in the same effort and did not care for stories in the same way that I did. I tried to write a couple other stories shortly after that, but I hardly had the attention span for it at the time. I still have all four of the first short stories I wrote that year. I still think they are excellent.
I returned to writing again when I was in sixth grade – at, arguably, my peak of being an avid reader. I consumed every book on the Virginia Readers’ List every single year and then some. I sought out more books by the authors whose first books I enjoyed. I think I read every single YA book I could find. And eventually – though I know now, looking back, that this is not true – I felt as though I had run out. I could not find any more good books to read, and that frustrated me. It got to the point that I wanted to read something, but I did not know what that was. So, I turned to my own devices.
By this point, the summer after sixth grade, we had a family laptop that was not ancient nor painfully slow anymore, so I opened a Word document and simply began writing what I wanted to read. I wrote all summer long, diligently, and at times, plagiarizing-ly (sorry, Rick Riordan). By the end of the summer, I had an 80 page “novel” of sorts sitting on my parents’ laptop. I tried to get multiple people to read it, but no one was interested in investing their time in such a lengthy, clearly-written-by-a-12-year-old piece. I still have this one too; and while it is suspiciously similar to the Percy Jackson series that I was engrossed in at that time in my life, it is still impressive to me that my tiny mind produced that.
In high school and college, my love of reading remained, but my free time and desire to fill time with a book instead of my phone declined. My love of writing remained, too. I edited and rewrote a lot of my friends’ college essays – Is that a crime? – and I aced every reading or writing or speaking class I ever took. But I was busy, and I was being a teen, a young adult. I did not have time for reading and writing outside of school because I had to binge Netflix shows, complete my homework, go to bars or football games or parties, nap.
And finally, in the spring of 2020, one full calendar year after I graduated from Virginia Tech, I returned to the numerous novel ideas and first 20 to 40 pages I had written for each of these ideas, accumulating over all those years. I considered going back to school for writing, but then why would I want to return to school in the middle of a global pandemic? (I am still considering an MFA in Creative Writing in the Fall of 2022, we will see!) I learned about literary magazines and journals, which I had never known about before. And so now I am trying my hand at that short story mastery I had back when I was seven years old. I only just started submitting my writing for publication in 2021, so I hope that this year will bring my first publication ever! (Can you tell I’m a writer? Was that too lengthy?)
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Sadly, no.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I have had about a hundred ideas for novels (haven’t we all?), but the only two I keep returning to are: A sweeping, international epic of a young girl discovering that she is gay through a taboo but silly crush on her much older, not-related-by-blood stepsister. And a sort of science fiction novel, whose first nine pages saw me accepted into the HWG, about a time in the future when DNA testing has succeeded a bit too well – the average people undergoing mandatory DNA altering that makes them a bit robotic, a bit catatonic. And then, of course, short stories. An abundance of short stories.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I would love to know if anyone has any recommendations of where to send your writing if you have never before been published. And I would love for everyone to know that I am an avid coffee drinker and a fabulous plant mother and a good listener and a good reader. If anyone should ever want to meet – to be friends, to exchange writing – I would always be up for it.
##
Hannah joined Hawaii Writers Guild in May of 2021. She lives in Waikiki with her partner and her plants.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I found HWG when searching for any kind of connection to other writers here in Hawai’i. I moved here early in 2020 and have had a hard time meeting other people due to COVID. Simultaneously, due to COVID, I started writing more frequently and with more intention than I ever had before. 2020 was the first year that I started considering writing as more than a fun escape or hobby. I was hoping to find people to fit in with both of the new COVID-sanctioned changes in my life, and I found HWG with a quick Google search!
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I first wrote a short story when I was seven years old for an assignment in school. It was supposed to be scary for Halloween, and I remember being so excited to share mine and hear the stories that my fellow students wrote. Quickly, I realized they did not care for this exercise as much, did not put in the same effort and did not care for stories in the same way that I did. I tried to write a couple other stories shortly after that, but I hardly had the attention span for it at the time. I still have all four of the first short stories I wrote that year. I still think they are excellent.
I returned to writing again when I was in sixth grade – at, arguably, my peak of being an avid reader. I consumed every book on the Virginia Readers’ List every single year and then some. I sought out more books by the authors whose first books I enjoyed. I think I read every single YA book I could find. And eventually – though I know now, looking back, that this is not true – I felt as though I had run out. I could not find any more good books to read, and that frustrated me. It got to the point that I wanted to read something, but I did not know what that was. So, I turned to my own devices.
By this point, the summer after sixth grade, we had a family laptop that was not ancient nor painfully slow anymore, so I opened a Word document and simply began writing what I wanted to read. I wrote all summer long, diligently, and at times, plagiarizing-ly (sorry, Rick Riordan). By the end of the summer, I had an 80 page “novel” of sorts sitting on my parents’ laptop. I tried to get multiple people to read it, but no one was interested in investing their time in such a lengthy, clearly-written-by-a-12-year-old piece. I still have this one too; and while it is suspiciously similar to the Percy Jackson series that I was engrossed in at that time in my life, it is still impressive to me that my tiny mind produced that.
In high school and college, my love of reading remained, but my free time and desire to fill time with a book instead of my phone declined. My love of writing remained, too. I edited and rewrote a lot of my friends’ college essays – Is that a crime? – and I aced every reading or writing or speaking class I ever took. But I was busy, and I was being a teen, a young adult. I did not have time for reading and writing outside of school because I had to binge Netflix shows, complete my homework, go to bars or football games or parties, nap.
And finally, in the spring of 2020, one full calendar year after I graduated from Virginia Tech, I returned to the numerous novel ideas and first 20 to 40 pages I had written for each of these ideas, accumulating over all those years. I considered going back to school for writing, but then why would I want to return to school in the middle of a global pandemic? (I am still considering an MFA in Creative Writing in the Fall of 2022, we will see!) I learned about literary magazines and journals, which I had never known about before. And so now I am trying my hand at that short story mastery I had back when I was seven years old. I only just started submitting my writing for publication in 2021, so I hope that this year will bring my first publication ever! (Can you tell I’m a writer? Was that too lengthy?)
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Sadly, no.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I have had about a hundred ideas for novels (haven’t we all?), but the only two I keep returning to are: A sweeping, international epic of a young girl discovering that she is gay through a taboo but silly crush on her much older, not-related-by-blood stepsister. And a sort of science fiction novel, whose first nine pages saw me accepted into the HWG, about a time in the future when DNA testing has succeeded a bit too well – the average people undergoing mandatory DNA altering that makes them a bit robotic, a bit catatonic. And then, of course, short stories. An abundance of short stories.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I would love to know if anyone has any recommendations of where to send your writing if you have never before been published. And I would love for everyone to know that I am an avid coffee drinker and a fabulous plant mother and a good listener and a good reader. If anyone should ever want to meet – to be friends, to exchange writing – I would always be up for it.
##
Charles Roberts
Meet Charles Roberts
Charles joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March 2021. He lives in Hilo, Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
During one of many internet searches while learning about becoming a professional writer, I noticed the word “Guild.” A Guild represents an economic and political social union of mutual support and advancement. Logically, therefore, I joined.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Before I could read; about four years old. I made up my own symbols out of frustration.
I was always a human being first, and a latent writer second - until, Dec 19th 2019, at approximately 0600. And no, I was not the cause of COVID.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Six self-published short stories and cover artwork:
I am currently drafting several 7500-word fiction short stories, two of which are the second installments in their respective series. In non-fiction, I am compiling two collections; essays and an amusing guide for writers. I also write plenty of jokes. (Not sure what to do with them yet, since I am funny.) And inevitably, as most of us, I am working on a novel and an unusual personal memoir which will eventually shake and shock the universe.
Via ZOOM, I host a writing critique group, and on Friday nights, a simile of the “Algonquian Round Table.” The Hawai’i Writer’s Guild is also a kind of writing project. Regularly attending the Saturday “Readings and Responses” group has improved my communicative competence, and given me plenty of “R&R.”
Verisimilitude! I say; indubitably!
I am also involved in marketing my works, and developing the business institution of JUSTICE, LLC, which is my professional corporate envelope. This includes occasional contributions to the HWG website, and the creation of my own.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
“Always catch a stray thought.” The Guild was kind enough to release a youtube video interview, wherein I expound at length on this concept of the creative process. You can view the video here .
Writing is risking. I view the process in a historical sense. My works could survive as long as there is electric power and a memory core. The Epic of Gilgamesh may be the Earth’s oldest story. The biggest risk any society can take - besides burning the printing presses - is carrying around old bones with a few scratchings on them. Thus, I will risk being called “a writer” now, for the purpose is Nobel, and pure; “six cents a word.”
The risk of not writing? Savagery. Forty-thousand years of the club.
I’ve joined a better club, and I intend to swing forward with the Hawai’i Writers Guild, hoping to make direct contact with everyone’s skull!
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Charles joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March 2021. He lives in Hilo, Hawaii.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
During one of many internet searches while learning about becoming a professional writer, I noticed the word “Guild.” A Guild represents an economic and political social union of mutual support and advancement. Logically, therefore, I joined.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Before I could read; about four years old. I made up my own symbols out of frustration.
I was always a human being first, and a latent writer second - until, Dec 19th 2019, at approximately 0600. And no, I was not the cause of COVID.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Six self-published short stories and cover artwork:
- THE VICTIM - A Kindle ebook. Categories - Historical fiction, short story, 7100 words.
- TURBO TWIN - A Kindle ebook. Categories - International fiction, action/adventure short story, 8600 words.
- THE FLIGHT OF THE FLAPJACK SIX - A Kindle ebook. Categories - Science fiction; general, short story, 7500 words
- MOONFIGHT - A Kindle ebook. Categories - Science fiction; hard, short story, 7500 words.
- THE CHAIR AND THE CHESSBOARD - A Kindle ebook. Categories - Nonfiction > Social Science > Conspiracy Theories, Biography & Autobiography > Historical - 4485 words
- NINE CAT DAY - A Kindle ebook. Categories - Fiction >short story, Magical Realism, 5978 words.
I am currently drafting several 7500-word fiction short stories, two of which are the second installments in their respective series. In non-fiction, I am compiling two collections; essays and an amusing guide for writers. I also write plenty of jokes. (Not sure what to do with them yet, since I am funny.) And inevitably, as most of us, I am working on a novel and an unusual personal memoir which will eventually shake and shock the universe.
Via ZOOM, I host a writing critique group, and on Friday nights, a simile of the “Algonquian Round Table.” The Hawai’i Writer’s Guild is also a kind of writing project. Regularly attending the Saturday “Readings and Responses” group has improved my communicative competence, and given me plenty of “R&R.”
Verisimilitude! I say; indubitably!
I am also involved in marketing my works, and developing the business institution of JUSTICE, LLC, which is my professional corporate envelope. This includes occasional contributions to the HWG website, and the creation of my own.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
“Always catch a stray thought.” The Guild was kind enough to release a youtube video interview, wherein I expound at length on this concept of the creative process. You can view the video here .
Writing is risking. I view the process in a historical sense. My works could survive as long as there is electric power and a memory core. The Epic of Gilgamesh may be the Earth’s oldest story. The biggest risk any society can take - besides burning the printing presses - is carrying around old bones with a few scratchings on them. Thus, I will risk being called “a writer” now, for the purpose is Nobel, and pure; “six cents a word.”
The risk of not writing? Savagery. Forty-thousand years of the club.
I’ve joined a better club, and I intend to swing forward with the Hawai’i Writers Guild, hoping to make direct contact with everyone’s skull!
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Pianta
Meet Pianta
Pianta joined Hawaii Writers Guild in April 2021. She lives in Volcano, Hawai’i, but also keeps close ties with the writing and teaching community in San Diego, California.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was born and raised on O’ahu and was familiar with the writing community there. After teaching for many years in California, I moved to the Big Island, where I have family. I didn’t know the writing community here, so I just used Google. I was happy to find the Guild. It’s good for writers to be around other writers and artists. We can encourage and inspire each other. We can also remind each other about the importance of creating work even if it may not have a high priority in the environment we’re in.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Like many writers, I started writing as a child. I’d always written my thoughts out. I also started writing poetry early on. I can’t say that I identified myself as a writer though until very late in life. It was just always something that I did even if I didn’t introduce myself as such.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
My work has appeared in publications like Bamboo Ridge Press and in journals such as Terrain.org, Adirondack Review, Cirque, San Diego Reader, Yuan Yang.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I completed a number of projects in the past year. I finished a novella, Old Volcano Road, a CD of original acoustic songs called Little Bird: Songs for Children, and a slew of poetry chapbooks. Right now, I’m working on new music and lyrics (something different, not children’s songs), poetry, and flash fiction. I’m also helping others edit their books. Some are poetry, others are nonfiction, and still others are memoir. This feels like a creative time for everyone.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I just appreciate that the Guild exists. I know it takes a lot of energy and dedication to keep groups like this going.
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Pianta joined Hawaii Writers Guild in April 2021. She lives in Volcano, Hawai’i, but also keeps close ties with the writing and teaching community in San Diego, California.
How did you find out about Hawaii Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I was born and raised on O’ahu and was familiar with the writing community there. After teaching for many years in California, I moved to the Big Island, where I have family. I didn’t know the writing community here, so I just used Google. I was happy to find the Guild. It’s good for writers to be around other writers and artists. We can encourage and inspire each other. We can also remind each other about the importance of creating work even if it may not have a high priority in the environment we’re in.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
Like many writers, I started writing as a child. I’d always written my thoughts out. I also started writing poetry early on. I can’t say that I identified myself as a writer though until very late in life. It was just always something that I did even if I didn’t introduce myself as such.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
My work has appeared in publications like Bamboo Ridge Press and in journals such as Terrain.org, Adirondack Review, Cirque, San Diego Reader, Yuan Yang.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
I completed a number of projects in the past year. I finished a novella, Old Volcano Road, a CD of original acoustic songs called Little Bird: Songs for Children, and a slew of poetry chapbooks. Right now, I’m working on new music and lyrics (something different, not children’s songs), poetry, and flash fiction. I’m also helping others edit their books. Some are poetry, others are nonfiction, and still others are memoir. This feels like a creative time for everyone.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I just appreciate that the Guild exists. I know it takes a lot of energy and dedication to keep groups like this going.
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Sara-Lynne Simpson
Meet Sara-Lynne Simpson
Sara-Lynne joined Hawai’i Writers Guild in May, 2021. She lives in Ashland, Oregon.
How did you find out about Hawai’i Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I searched “Hawai’i writers” and found the Guild. The website and author pages offered an evening of fun exploration. I ordered something from another member immediately. Once I saw Mahealani Wendt was a member, I signed up. Her exquisite work was already known to me.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I earned the equivalent of a writing minor in my undergraduate studies and published poetry in the university’s literary magazine. I journaled and wrote poetry through intervening years, along with a lot of successful grant proposals in the arts. However, I became serious about writing in multiple genres in 2008. That’s when I joined critique groups and writing organizations, devoured craft books, and committed to writing.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Some of my poems have won honors and been published. My main focus has been writing two novels, the first of which I tucked “in the drawer.” The second is nearly complete, and I will seek publication once revisions cycles happen.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
My WIP, Riptides, is a magical realism novel that is set on Maui in 1878. It’s intended for YA readers. Other writers have been intrigued by its blended genre—historical fiction and magical realism—as well as its hybrid form and triple narrative—Leilani speaks in 1st person verse, whereas Kamoku and Thomas narrate in close 3rd. I read the opening three pages at Readings and Responses on Saturday, June 12th.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I value literary community and look forward to getting to know the Guild’s members and their work.
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Sara-Lynne joined Hawai’i Writers Guild in May, 2021. She lives in Ashland, Oregon.
How did you find out about Hawai’i Writers Guild? What made you decide to join?
I searched “Hawai’i writers” and found the Guild. The website and author pages offered an evening of fun exploration. I ordered something from another member immediately. Once I saw Mahealani Wendt was a member, I signed up. Her exquisite work was already known to me.
When did you start to write? Start to think of yourself as “a writer”?
I earned the equivalent of a writing minor in my undergraduate studies and published poetry in the university’s literary magazine. I journaled and wrote poetry through intervening years, along with a lot of successful grant proposals in the arts. However, I became serious about writing in multiple genres in 2008. That’s when I joined critique groups and writing organizations, devoured craft books, and committed to writing.
Do you have any published work/s to date?
Some of my poems have won honors and been published. My main focus has been writing two novels, the first of which I tucked “in the drawer.” The second is nearly complete, and I will seek publication once revisions cycles happen.
Tell us about the writing projects you are working on.
My WIP, Riptides, is a magical realism novel that is set on Maui in 1878. It’s intended for YA readers. Other writers have been intrigued by its blended genre—historical fiction and magical realism—as well as its hybrid form and triple narrative—Leilani speaks in 1st person verse, whereas Kamoku and Thomas narrate in close 3rd. I read the opening three pages at Readings and Responses on Saturday, June 12th.
Is there anything else you would like the Guild members to know about you or your writing?
I value literary community and look forward to getting to know the Guild’s members and their work.
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