Molokai Writer Places in National Poetry Contest

Photo courtesy of Kirby Wright

For those who enjoy literature about Molokai, the name Kirby Wright might be familiar. The Punahou grad spent his summers with his grandmother, Brownie Gilman, at her property on Molokai’s east end called Hale Kawaikapu. Wright has written several novels set on Molokai including “Molokai Nui Ahina” and “The Queen of Molokai.”

Now, Wright has been awarded second place out of over 500 entries in the 2024 Foley Prize competition, sponsored by America Magazine, for his poem titled “Gaza.”

“I was inspired by my need to do something to call attention to the Gaza genocide,” Wright said.

Wright’s poetry has been recognized previously, including by the San Francisco Browning Society for his monologue to Queen Lili‘uokalani. Wright said that for him, connecting with family, place and history has always been the spark of his writing work.

“A good starting point for newbies is hanging out with relatives and writing about their experiences,” he said. “Get relatives to dig in and remember the kupuna. I think I became a writer only because of the stories my grandma shared.”

Wright encouraged young writers to not be afraid of making mistakes or taking risks with their work.

“Never crumple up what you’ve written. Don’t throw away any writing. Keep it. Go back to it. Don’t be afraid to doodle or write down scraps of dialogue because they could serve as fuses to ignite more ideas. My ‘Damien’s Tears’ poem serves as a borderline play since it is a monologue from a relative of a Kalaupapa patient. There will be times when what you write seems idiotic, but avoid censoring yourself,” he said.

“Above all, don’t stop thinking, feeling and creating,” added Wright. “The world needs more writers from Hawai‘i, especially from Molokai.”

Check out Wright’s award winning poem at americamagazine.org/section/poetry.