Big Island BOOK LAUNCH PHOTOS and more!

After returning from Mauna Kea book launch events in the Twin Cities and in Honolulu, I immediately did readings and signings on Hawaiʻi Island—in Hilo, Kona, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and Volcano Village. These lively events provided numerous opportunities for me to interact with a wide range of Big Islanders and island visitors—including fiction readers, fans of my previous novel Daughters of Fire, former writing students, and island residents long connected to Mauna Kea—as well as to sell books!

Read on to see photos of these events and some of the people I met there . . . and for some other news, including my recent Zoom meeting with students at Pacific University in Portland and the season’s first snowfall on Mauna Kea!

Photos by Catherine Robbins or Tom Peek unless otherwise credited

Tom discussing his new novel at Basically Books in Hilo on Saturday, October 28 (photo by Stacy Reed).

Big Island book tour begins at Hilo’s oldest bookstore

The first of my Big Island events—one day after returning from Oʻahu—was at Basically Books in downtown Hilo, one of Hawaiʻi’s oldest independent bookstores, with its rich collection of local literature, Hawaiʻi-themed books, and island music, maps, and other Hawaiiana. These include carefully vetted books that illuminate Hawaiʻi’s rich and diverse culture, complex history, and deep Native Hawaiian roots. Among them are a number of previously out-of-print classics published by the bookstore’s longtime publishing arm, Petroglyph Press.

It was a sunny, hot Sunday afternoon in Hilo on October 28^th and we gathered in the breezy air next to the building. Among those who attended were several of my former writing students, two now published authors: Hilo poet Leomi L. Bergknut, whose potent pigeon verse has been published by Bamboo Ridge Press and in other cross-cultural literary journals, and Mountain View memoirist Donna Barr, author of the 2022 Samoa Peace Corps memoir My View from the House by the Sea.

Tom signing a copy of “Mauna Kea” for longtime Hilo poet Leomi L. Bergknut.

Tom with Mountain View memoirist Donna Barr, author of “My View from the House by the Sea” (photo by Stacy Reed).

Stacy Reed continues the Reed Family tradition, providing the bookstore with youthful enthusiasm and contemporary, tech-savvy skills and perspectives.

Christine Reed, the bookstore’s longtime co-owner and key event planner and host, is always a vibrant presence in the store.(Photo by Stacy Reed)

David Reed, whose father founded Petroglyph Press in 1962, continues that 6-decade publishing tradition.

The Reed Family of Basically Books — Stacy, Christine, and David

Mauna Kea silhouetted above downtown Hilo in the last light of the day shortly after Tom’s Basically Books reading.

A packed house at Kona Stories in Keauhou

Tom responds to questions during his Kona Stories reading on November 7.

On Thursday night, November 7, I appeared with two other Hawaiʻi Island authors at Kona Stories’ monthly “Wine and Words” event—anthropologist Carol McMillan and educator, adventurer, and now nut farmer Diann Wilson. Forty people packed the bookstore for the two-hour reading and book signing. But before I could enter the store, three of my former writing students—Gloria and Barry Blum and Mary Park—intercepted me at the door with congratulations on the novel’s publication and to get their copies signed.

Tom’s former writing students Gloria and Barry Blum (left) and Mary Park (right) greet him before the Wine and Words evening event.

All three are accomplished writers. Mary Park is the author of the compelling Korean American novel 38 Chestnuts. Gloria Itman Blum is the author (with acclaimed illustrator Yuko Green) of the children’s book Tutu’s Secret and, more recently, the potent and timely radio play The Trial of Sarah, which won a Silver Prize from the National Audio Theatre Festivals (NATF) in its 2023 contest. Barry Blum is a Kona orthopedic surgeon and lay rabbi who formerly published a regular medical column in the West Hawaiʻi Today newspaper.

Author Carol McMillan so captivated the audience that one of Kona Stories’ legendary cats, Chloe, decided to join the crowd.

After opening comments by our clever and humorous master of ceremonies, bookstore co-owner Joy Vogelgesang, Carol McMillan, formerly of Oakland, delighted the audience with excerpts from her latest book, Scriptless, a memoir about her transformative experiences in San Francisco during the tumultuous late 1960s. Then Diann Wilson took the stage, reading several entertaining sections of her memoir about transitioning from mainland life to running a small nut farm with her husband in Hawi, Goodbye Big City, Hello Big Island. I read next, followed by a lively discussion of the novel and some of the issues it raises. Then we all signed books.

Diann Wilson read a humorous passage from her memoir, drawing chuckles from the gathering.

Tom signed lots of books that night, briefly talking story with everyone who came up for an autograph.

Brenda McConnell (Left) and Joy Vogelgesang (right), the vibrant and imaginative co-owners of Kona Stories, one of the state’s finest independent bookstore.

Kona Stories was voted the #1 bookstore on the Kona side by readers of West Hawaiʻi Today.

After the reading, my wife Catherine and I stayed at one of our favorite haunts, the rustic old Manago Hotel in Captain Cook, which in fictionalized form is the setting for a romantic scene between Maile Chow and Gavin McCall in Daughters of Fire (a favorite episode for many readers). The next morning, we awoke to the fragrance of West Side flowers and a spectacular view of the South Kona Coast!

The view from our lanai at the 107-year-old Manago Hotel

Reading fiction atop Kilauea on a cold, blustery night

Despite the blustery, cold weather atop Kilauea that night, at least thirty people attended my November 16 Volcano Art Center reading and book signing at its Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. We met in the Dietrich Varez Hall, named to honor the renowned and beloved Volcano artist.

Having lived and worked in this community for many years, I decided to kick off my presentation with a brief PowerPoint review of my long personal history with Mauna Kea—from working as an early astronomy guide at the Visitor Information Station in the late 1980s and early 1990s to my decades of participation in the efforts to protect the mountain from further development.

Tom explains his early work expanding the observatories’ fledgling visitor information program after returning from hitchhiking by boat across the South Pacific.

Tom discusses the writing process he used to create “Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawaiʻi,” the same process he’s taught many hundreds of islanders since 1991, including during more than fifteen years of workshops at the Volcano Art Center.

Thanksgiving book signings at two Volcano Art Center galleries

I signed copies of Mauna Kea twice during the Volcano Art Center’s annual “Christmas in the Country” festivities, first on Friday, November 24 at their historic art gallery near the rim of Kilauea caldera in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the next day at their Volcano Village gallery on the Niaulani Campus.

Both galleries teemed with people all weekend, not only because of the holiday, but because that Thanksgiving weekend was also the annual studio art sale of the Volcano Village Artist Hui. The VAC galleries were included in many of the art lovers’ routes, so I had an opportunity to talk not only with Big Islanders but also many people from other islands and across the globe.

Tom discusses his new novel with Nona Wilson, a fan of “Daughters of Fire” and a longtime member of the committee of Native Hawaiian elders who advises Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on cultural matters.

The Art Center’s holiday wreath contest and sale is always a popular attraction during their annual “Christmas in the Country” festivities, and this year was no exception.

Catherine Robbins, cover artist for “Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawaiʻi,” with Emily Catey Weiss, VAC’s director of development and galleries.

The next day, I signed books for several hours at VAC’s Volcano Village gallery on the Niaulani Campus, where in various classrooms I’ve taught many of my workshops. The gallery, located in the Art Center’s lovely administrative building, was filled with stunning local art, making it a marvelous place to sign books and “talk story” with people.

Tom discussed his novel and the Mauna Kea clash with a local Big Island resident from the Puna district.

Tom with VAC program manager Jenette Goss, standing at the entrance of the Niaulani Campus gallery at the end of that fun, busy day.

And then, a few days later . . . snow on Mauna Kea!

A few days later, a low-pressure system moved into the central Pacific, bringing strong winds and much-needed rain to the islands . . . and snow to the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Winter was upon us. And Poliʻahu was now in residence on the mountain!

Mauna Kea at dawn on December 1, 2023, as seen from the outskirts of Volcano Village (photo by Catherine Robbins).

POSTSCRIPT: Meeting with Pacific University students from Portland

Tom meeting with Dr. Shawn Morford’s mid-career leadership program students at Pacific University. Daughters of Fire was part of their curriculum.

On December 14, I met via Zoom with 16 students at Pacific University in Portland, members of a mid-career leadership course taught by Dr. Shawn Morford. They wanted to discuss my first novel, Daughters of Fire, which, because of its honest portrayal of the impact of Western development on Hawaiʻi and its indigenous people, was part of their curriculum. A key focus of the discussion was on what one character in the novel called his “personal sovereignty,” the brave exercise of one’s own ideas and conscience to fulfill one’s kuleana (responsibility, jurisdiction, or concern), despite society’s pressures to conform or the demands of business and industry. They also asked about my new novel, Mauna Kea.

Daughters of Fire has been used by a number of US colleges and universities in their literature, American studies, anthropology, and environmental studies courses. Given Mauna Kea’s relevant and extraordinarily timely themes, I won’t be surprised if that happens again with this new novel.