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Ka Palapala Po'okela AWARDS (2019)
The Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards are given biennally by the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association (HBPA) to recognize the finest books published in Hawai‘i and to honor individuals involved in their creation. HBPA sponsors these awards as part of its public outreach effort to enhance the recognition of book publishing as an industry in Hawai‘i and support local literacy. The term “Ka Palapala Po‘okela” can be translated from Hawaiian to mean “excellent or exemplary manuscript.”
Nominees are customarily judged in twelve categories of excellence. In each category, two honors may be given—an Honorable Mention and the Award of Excellence—as determined by the votes of adjudicators specially-selected for their expertise in a particular category’s subject matter, genre conventions, target audience, etc. Each category of excellence will be judged by a committee of three adjudicators as appointed by the HBPA.
While the awards are primarily designed to honor Hawai‘i’s regional publishing, a special “Aloha from Across the Sea” award recognizes excellence in books about Hawai‘i or with a Hawaiian theme that are published outside of the state.
Two additional trophy awards may also presented by the HBPA membership: the Samuel M. Kamakau Award, given for the overall Hawai‘i Book of the Year, selected from the category Award of Excellence winners, and the John Dominis Holt Award, given to an individual for an extended history of Excellence in Hawai‘i Book Publishing.
ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY FRIDAY, APRIL
26th, 2019.
The first biennial Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards is now history, and we are very grateful to all those who helped make this event a success, especially
Ron Cox, the Vice President of HBPA, and all the judges, who had the
difficult task of
selecting winners among so many well-qualified entries. Click here
to see the list of winners and
here
to see pictures from the event.
BOOKSTORES CAN SURVIVE
By being creative and diversifying, independent bookstores are finding a way to survive in a digital age. Link
to Houston Chronicle article.
HAWAII PUBLIC RADIO 2016
APRIL 12th, 2016
This morning several association
members pitched in and worked the phones at Hawaii Public Radio (HPR) to help with their annual
spring fundraiser. Through the years, HPR has played a major
role in promoting books and supporting
our local publishing community. It was a pleasure
to help them out.
If you can, please
consider making a pledge. Every dollar makes a difference and
provides culturally relevant programming you will not find
anywhere else. Mahalo.
Writing The Hawaii Memoir
Darien Gee talks about her award-winning book, Writing The Hawaii Memoir.
The book is published by Watermark Publishing.
The Red-Headed Hawaiian
Chris McKinney and Rudy Puana discuss their book, The Red-Headed Hawaiian, which was published by Mutual Publishing and won as the best book in the literature category at
the 2015 Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards.
KAMAnamaikalani beamer
Kamanamaikalani Beamer discusses his book, No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation, published by Kamehameha Publishing.
KA PALAPALA PO'OKELA AWARDS 2015
The annual Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards show was held on April 23th, 2015 at the East-West Center at UH Manoa. The top prize, The Samuel M.
Kamakau Award, went to Kamanamaikalani Beamer for No Mākou ka Mana: Liberating the Nation (Kamehameha Publishing). The Hawai'i
Book Publishers Association would like to extend our gratitude to the judges, Howard Dicus (our host), and to Maile Meyer and her ohana at Native Books
for planning and coordinating this year's event. Pictures from the event can be found on our Flickr page. The list of all
nominees and winners can be found here. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.
KA PALAPALA PO'OKELA AWARDS 2015
Please join us on Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 for the annual Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be provided.
'EWA WHICH WAY: A BOOK TRAILER
Book trailers are becoming an increasingly common way of marketing new titles. Here is an example from Bamboo Ridge Press.
POP-UP HOLIDAY BOOK & GIFT FAIR
Please join us on Saturday, November 15th, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the Pop-Up Holiday Book & Gift Fair. It will be held in Kaimuki at Bess Press, 3565 Harding Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816. Sellers will be donating a portion of their proceeds to help support Aloha Harvest, a non-profit organization helping to feed Hawaii's hungry.
There will be a wide selection of books available at discounted prices. This is a great opportunity to support the local publishing community and get some early Christmas shopping done. Several HBPA members with award-winning titles will be there including:
Mark your calendar now, and we look forward to seeing you there.
KA PALAPALA PO'OKELA AWARDS 2014
On Thursday evening, April 24, the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association (HBPA) revealed the winners of the 2014 Ka Palapala Po‘okela book awards at a lively ceremony at the East-West Center emceed by local television commentator Howard Dicus. The celebratory event marked the 21st year of the awards, which are presented by HBPA to recognize the finest books published in Hawai‘i during the previous year and honor the individuals and companies involved in their creation. The judging process relied on panels of three adjudicators from Hawai‘i’s book community to evaluate titles within their assigned categories. This year a total of 48 entries from 37 separate book projects from a spectrum of local publishers were nominated in ten categories.
Additional event photos can be found on Flickr.
Is Amazon bad for books?
Cheap Words is an in-depth exposé by George Packer that explores how Amazon is profoundly affecting the publishing industry. Source: The New Yorker (2014)
THE VALUE OF KA PALAPALA PO'OKELA
THE NANJING MASSACRE: POEMS
Author, Wing Tek Lum, discusses his latest work.
KA PALAPALA PO'OKELA
On May 10th, 2013, the Hawai'i State
Library hosted the annual Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards. Each
year, the
event acknowledges excellence among local authors,
designers, editors, illustrators, and photographers across
several categories. The association wishes to thank all those who
participated with a special mahalo to the Hawai'i State Library for
their incredible aloha in helping with the event. We also wish to thank
not only all the nominees and their publishers but the
judges who had the difficult task of choosing winners among
the many exceptional books.
DAUGHTERS OF FIRE
Big Island author, Tom Peek, discusses his latest novel,
Daughters of Fire.
The Hawaii Book Publishers Association (HBPA), established in 1986, is a not-for-profit
organization whose purpose is to promote book publishing in Hawaii. The association's
members presently include the state's preeminent book publishers, consultants,
and distributors.
HBPA activities have included:
creation and sponsorship of the Ka Palapala Po'okela
Awards program, which recognizes
the best in Hawai'i book publishing.
support for statewide literacy programs.
sponsorship of events
and workshops for authors and publishers.
participation in local, national, and international trade shows and
conventions such as those organized by the American
Booksellers Association, American Library Assocation,
and other trade associations.
book displays and promotions at local national
retail outlets, shopping malls, schools, and other
public locations.