Writing Workshop

MAC News Release 

The Molokai Arts Center’s (MAC) Artist in Residence Noelani M. Piters is near the end of her residency, working on a short story collection centered around Hawaii, the Native Hawaiian diaspora, mixedness and what it means to belong. Her stories will explore how immigration, colonization, family myth, mixed experience, the relationship to the land, inheritance and kuleana complicate and create identity. This will manifest in fragmented narratives, characters who question the invisible barriers that delineate their various heritages, and visceral descriptions of locations with deep historical or personal significance.

Noe, who is a Chinese, Kanaka Maoli and Jewish writer living in San Francisco, CA, will be the guest of our next MAC Talk on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 5:30 p.m. The presentation will be held at the MAC studio in Kualapu’u.

Noe will also do a writing workshop titled “Fictionalizing the Family Archives” on Friday, Aug. 25, at 6 p.m. at the MAC studio. 

What happens when we turn our attention to family, shared history, and that which we do not know? How can we honor the stories we inherit, while also incorporating our own perspectives? How can we use the idiosyncrasies of our relatives to bring fictional characters — and our work in general — to life? 

In this generative workshop, participants will focus energies on the art of observation by examining fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art that engages family and heritage through innovative and surprising methods. Each participant will use individual family histories as a jumping-off point. Emphasis will be on sensory details, experimenting with literary techniques, forms, and points of view to create evocative writing that is rooted in the real.

This class is open to all writers, whether you consider yourself a beginner or a seasoned pro. No prior creative writing experience is necessary to participate. Email molokaiartscenter@gmail.com to register.