Upcoming event: Voices of the Pacific
By Nova Teriiteanau Ross
Ia Orana! My name is Nova Teriiteanau Ross and I’m a rising junior at UW studying English, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. Instead, I’d like to talk about Voices of the Pacific: an event that I’ve been working on putting together during my time here as a Hinton intern.
When I first joined the Hinton team, I was asked to come up with some sort of project idea concerning something that I was really passionate about. As I brainstormed ideas, my Tahitian heritage came to mind immediately as I started to think about the lack of Pacific Islanders in literature. During times in my life when I’ve struggled with my own identity as I felt that I wasn’t Polynesian enough, I’ve tried to find comfort through a variety of different ways. As someone who has always loved reading and writing, it’s been a bit frustrating to realize that I couldn’t really find people like me in literature, be it authors or characters in stories. I wanted to take this issue and create some sort of project or event that could serve as a sort of stepping stone for at least one author, if not more.
As a result, I’ve been working to organize an event where we are able to give authors a spotlight and a space to share their work with others who can help lift them up both professionally and creatively. In doing so, I hope to build connections between communities and give talented authors a platform and a shot to achieve their dreams. And now, the time has finally come!! This coming Thursday, August 29th, join us at Columbia City Gallery (4864 Rainier Ave S, Seattle) from 6:30-8:30 pm for a wonderful night of literature, friendly faces, lively conversation, and so much more!
Additionally, we’re always happy to have more readers join us, so if you’re of Pacific Islander descent and have any original work you’d like to share, please email me at aquamarine5.nr@gmail.com. Works can be any length or genre, but for longer pieces, we might ask that you choose a few favorite excerpts, for time’s sake. (If time allows, you’re more than welcome to read more material, of course)
We hope to see you there, anyone and everyone is invited to attend. Maururu Roa!
