IMUA | Pacific University P

IMUA, Go Forward

Go Forward

This collection of poetry, edited by Malia Guerrero, is a letter of love to the young people of Hawai’i. Through finely wrought lines, intimate stories, and incisive truths and images, Puanani Burgess, Jamaica Osorio, Kamanukea Kekoa, and N’ou Revilla honor their multi-generational ties to family and reclaim the language, land, and water that is their birthright. Artwork by Kanani Miyamoto infuses these pages.

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Puanani is my chosen name

My piko name connecting me back to the 'aina

And the kai and the po'e kahiko

My blessing, my burden

My amulet, my spear

--Puanani Burgess

Featured in this book

Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio

Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio is a Kanaka Maoli wahine artist / activist / scholar / storyteller. She earned her Ph.D. in English (Hawaiian literature) from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Currently, Jamaica is an Assistant Professor of Indigenous and Native Hawaiian Politics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Jamaica is a three-time national poetry champion, poetry mentor, and published author. Her poetry and activism are the subjects of an award-winning film, This is the Way We Rise. She is a proud graduate of Kamehameha, Stanford University (BA), and New York University (MA). Her book Remembering our Intimacies: Moʻolelo, Aloha ʻĀina, and Ea was published by at he University of Minnesota Press.

Puanani Burgess

Puanani Burgess, of Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, French and German ancestry, was born in Honolulu, O'ahu in the Territory of Hawai'i in 1947. Beginning in the 1970s, Puanani became involved in various community struggles in Hawai'i as an advocate. She considers herself a mediator, community developer, and facilitator of community-building and conflict transformation. Puanani continues to be active in her community and beyond. She sees her work as being a cultural translator, facilitator, and transformer of conflict. She has developed transformative processes that “allow people to talk deeply to each other about things that are important to them without treating those important things as issues.” She calls it “principles of building Beloved Community.”

No'u Revilla

Noʻu Revilla (she/her) is an ʻŌiwi (Hawaiian) poet, performer, and educator. Born and raised with the Līlīlehua rain of Waiʻehu on the island of Maui, she currently lives and loves with the Līlīlehua rain of Pālolo valley on Oʻahu. Her debut book of poetry Ask the Brindled was selected by Rick Barot as a winner of the 2021 National Poetry Series. She has performed and facilitated workshops throughout Hawaiʻi and abroad. She is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, where she teaches creative writing. She is a lifetime "slyly / reproductive" student of Haunani-Kay Trask.

Kanani Miyamoto

My name is Kanani Miyamoto (she, her). I was born and raised on the island of O`ahu, I am an individual of mixed heritage and identify most with my Hawaiian and Japanese roots. I currently live and work in Portland, Oregon. As an artist, many of my ideas and themes include, ending the romanticized myths of Pacific Island people. I’m focused on ending exotic fantasies built on capitalism and settler colonialism that has damaged the islands and her people. Also important to my work is sharing and celebrating my unique mixed background in our contemporary art world in hopes to represent my community and the beauty of intersectional identities. In my work, many visual elements are pulled from my Buddhist beliefs and Hawaiian heritage. I want my community represented equally and fairly in the fine art canon. I teach at Pacific University, Portland Community College, and Pacific Northwest College of Art. I also work with the Right Brain Initiative and Young Audiences as a teaching artist for grades K-12.

Image credit: Lei

Interview with IMUA, Go Forward Editor Malia Guerrero

This interview was conducted by Wren Bonham, Assistant Editor and Intern

What have you been up to since you graduated from Pacific?

Knowing that I wanted a career in education, I returned home to the Island of Oahu after graduating from Pacific University to pursue an MEdT (Master of Education in Teaching) degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am proud to say that I am now a fully licensed English Language Arts teacher at Waipahu High School and the Program Lead lead for my 9th-grade house.

In your letter to the readers, you mentioned that IMUA began a new journey of learning about your culture and passing it down to others. What is one thing that you learned while creating this book?

As a mixed-Hawaiian, I was excited to have been approached by Professor Kathlene Postma (Editor of New Ground Books) to take the lead in the creation of this anthology. But I was nervous too. For the longest time, I never truly felt connected with my Hawaiian heritage. While I was growing up it was difficult to feel a sense of belonging.

I heard comments about how I was “too White to be Hawaiian” or “not Hawaiian enough.” Despite participating in many activities designed to connect local children with their culture – such as hula lessons, Hawaiiana classes, summer exploration camps, lo’i patch field trips, etc. – my fair skin always made me feel self-conscious. I felt out of place and disconnected from my cultural heritage.

With that being said, and as cheesy as this might sound, the journey of creating this anthology was healing. Through every author and artist I spoke to and every meeting I had with editors and university faculty members, I felt the shattered pieces of myself being sewn back together.

As such, this book was a gift not only to my younger self, but also to future readers, reminding them that there is only one person who can make them feel worthy and confident in themselves. I’ll let you guess who that might be.

May I ask why you chose poetry as the genre for this anthology?

I actually found it very ironic that I was asked to put together an anthology of poetry because that was the genre that intimidated me the most in high school. (I felt like Kathlene secretly knew this and asked me anyway because she knew I would overcome my fears eventually.)

But as the process unfolded, I realized it be good if students who were like me—who felt intimidated by poetry—had the opportunity to read poems relevant to their lives, their families, and the place they call home.

So I guess I chose poetry as the genre for this anthology because I was scared of it, and I wanted to overcome that fear. For the students who feel the same way I did, I sincerely hope this book changes your perspective on what poetry is and what it could be.

What did the process for reaching out to all the different poets for this project look like for you?

At first I panicked a bit about reaching out to the different poets because I was unsure about how to pitch the project authentically and with confidence. However, when I saw that there were poets who were interested in being a part of this book, my attitude shifted completely.

The first poet that I contacted was Aunty Puanani Burgess, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude when she contacted me back to accept the offer. Over the course of developing IMUA, I met with Aunty Pua a few times through Zoom. Every time I talked with her, she helped me build the confidence I needed to continue developing this anthology. I learned a lot about myself through this experience, like how I tend to think the worst about things before actually trying to do anything.

This journey taught me to live in the present, to do the things that I want instead of giving up because of fear, and that kindness goes a long way.

Puanani Burgess was one of your biggest inspirations for creating this anthology, as well as just a foundational pillar of Hawaiian poetry. In light of her recent passing, is there anything you’d like to say about her influence, both on you as well as the wider community?

You know those rare moments in life that are said to be “life-changing”? Meeting Aunty Pua was one of those moments because she taught me to love and appreciate every part of myself.

Even though we met because of this book, I felt like she was more of a mentor who taught me what I needed to learn at that time—self-appreciation and self-confidence. Her poetry was raw and lyrical, and it touched my soul. Similar to how her poetry inspired me to be a part of the creation of this anthology, I hope that future readers will also be moved by her words and teachings.

She will always be someone that I admire because of her positivity and authenticity. I am forever grateful that she was the first poet who agreed to be featured in this book. Meeting her was something I never expected, but it was everything to make a meaningful difference in the world.

One of your motivations for creating this book was to one day see it as part of a class curriculum. Could you give me a brief overview of what a lesson plan based on this book would be?

As an English Arts teacher, I find that collaborative work is highly beneficial for students because it inspires them to explore different perspectives and lived experiences.

A lesson plan based on this anthology would include four parts: a bell ringer, a mini-lecture, a group activity/assignment, and an exit ticket. The bell ringer would consist of one of Aunty Pua’s “Building Trust Exercises” called “Guts on the Table.”

In it, students would respond to the following prompt: Tell the story of your name, all of your names. Tell the story of your community. Tell the story of your gifts.

After everyone shares their stories, we would move into a short 10 to15 minute lecture about the anthology and poem(s) we’d read during that class period.

Then, for a large chunk of class (roughly 30 minutes), students would complete a cognitive engagement assignment (such as Triangles, Chalk Talk, or Conversation Round Table).

Finally, students would end the class by reflecting on their learning with a journal prompt. This also allows me, as the teacher, to determine what students take away from the lesson.