It’s the 11th year for the Hawaii Book & Music Festival, and organizers continue to broaden the offerings, reaching out to keiki and families, avid readers, Shakespeare enthusiasts, health seekers and spiritual seekers with this year’s program.
A wellness thread is offered this year. “Living Well in Hawaii” (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Alana Hawaiian Culture Pavilion) includes sessions on “Achieving Health Through Balance” (noon) and “The Price of Wellness” (4 p.m.), a look at national efforts to increase access to affordable health care and healthful, homegrown food.
There will be dozens of panels and author appearances, of course, with notable authors including Susanna Moore, author of “Paradise of the Pacific” (11:30 a.m. Sunday, Mission Memorial Auditorium), and Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of young-adult novel “Juniors,” with Lisa Freeman, author of “Honey Girl” (2 p.m. Sunday, Keiki Stage).
Daily highlights
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, FESTIVALWIDE
>> Bank of Hawaii Book Swap: Exchange five gently used books for five more. Free.
>> Keiki Fun Zone: Rides and activities, including bounce houses to keep kids active.
>> Festival Food Court: Food trucks, with munchies when you want them. Look for fare from Beyond Burgers, Chamorro Grindz, ‘I‘iwi Kona Coffee Co., India Cafe Curry Factory, Kanack Shack, Slush Puppie Hawaii and Wow Wow Lemonade.
SATURDAY
>> 10-11 a.m.: Shaping the Story. Agent Jeff Kleinman of Folio Literary Agency in New York with best-selling author Connie Hale (“Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose”) give tips about getting published. (Authors’ Mauka Pavilion)
>> 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: The Storytellers. Kathy Collins, Jeff Gere, Mark Jeffers and Margaret Read MacDonald. (Keiki Stage)
>> 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: Hawaiian dance and music. In order of appearance, hourly: Halau Hula ka No‘eau, kumu hula Michael Pili Pang; Halau Mohala Ilima, kumu hula Mapuana De Silva; finalists in the HBMF Singer-Songwriters Competition; Kenneth Makuakane; Vergel Jepas; Jeff Peterson. (Main Stage)
Many of the presenters and performers at the Hawaii Book & Music Festival are award winners and groundbreaking artists. Halau Mohala Ilima was recognized at this year’s Merrie Monarch festival, taking home second place in the auana (modern) competition, one of many awards the halau has garnered over the years. Kenneth Makuakane is a prolific composer and producer who was recognized in 2015 with the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts’ Lifetime Achievement Award.
>> 4-5 p.m.: Performance. The Folger Shakespeare Society’s “The Gravedigger’s Tale” (“An Interactive Play”).
As part of the First Folio Tour, presenting Shakespeare’s written works in American cities, this retelling of “Hamlet” takes the point of view of the Gravedigger, using Shakespeare’s words and help from the audience. Touring performer Louis Butelli will take the stage for this 40-minute interactive performance, combining the text of “Hamlet” with original and traditional music.
SUNDAY
>> 10-11 a.m.: “Peace Through Words & Pictures.”
Maya Soetoro-Ng, a member of the faculty at the University of Hawaii’s Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution (and the younger sister of President Barack Obama) will moderate a panel suitable for youthful audiences, with authors Kimo Armitage (“Akua Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Gods and Their Stories,” with Solomon Enos) and James Rumford (author of the Jane Addams Peace Award-winning books “Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad” and “Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing”). The presentation considers the “words and pictures” that can help with resilience and a sense of community, by telling stories of love and friendship, harmony and activism in Hawaii and the world beyond.
>> 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: The Storytellers. Kathy Collins, Jeff Gere, Lopaka Kapanui and Margaret Read MacDonald. (Keiki Stage)
>> 3-5 p.m.: ‘Ukulele Kanikapila. This musical May Day celebration is open to all strummers, who are invited to bring their ukulele and join in.
