About Literati Academy’S Hawaiian writing series

USING HAWAII WISDOM TO WRITE INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

Hawaii called to me so many years ago, I can barely remember living anywhere else. She has taught me the importance of family (Ohana), Aloha (such much more than a greeting, but a way of daily living), ‘Aina (connecting to the land as a healing experience) and Ho’oponopono, the important practice of forgiveness.

In this six -session series, we will once again explore six topics not just as a way of learning Hawaiian cultural practices to enter our lives, but also a way into story for each topic. There could not be a better time to learn and to go deeper into our writing to call in the love, the light, the community and respect for the land we all live on.

For Indigenous Pacific peoples, including those from islands and from coastal regions, it is the ocean that carries stories through the currents that connect us. Epeli Hau’ofa explains, “We are the sea, we are the ocean, we must wake up to this ancient truth and together use it to overturn all hegemonic views that aim ultimately to confine us, physically and psychologically, in the tiny spaces that we have resisted accepting as our sole appointed places.”

What to Expect in Each Class

Within this course we will have the opportunity to receive a song or chant from a Hawaiian elder, a talk from them on the spiritual topice being reviewed, and the Laura’s carefully crafted writing exercisesour deepest truth, and perhaps discover those truths through the writing process. You will join a community of writers and share the stories of your journey in a private Facebook page, and each month you will enter a deep, comprehensive creative exploration, be inspired, write your stories and read them out loud to other people on a similar body-healing-spiritual-journey.

Each class will have simple exercises to teach you how to create lists ask questions and find the magic through metaphor. Virginia Woolf wrote in her essay on being ill, “Illness is the great confessional . . . Things are said. Truths blurted out which the cautious respectability of health conceals.”

“We are the sea, we are the ocean,

we must wake up to this ancient truth and together use it to overturn

all hegemonic views that aim ultimately to confine us,

physically and psychologically, in the tiny spaces that we have resisted accepting

as our sole appointed places.” 

-Epeli Hau’ofa

Who is this Workshop For:

 Any writer seeking to enrich their spiritual practice to write stories of connection, family, community, love and the land. The monthly writing workshop is for writers of all levels. The workshop is also for anyone wanting to explore writing through wisdom from our elders and enriching their spiritual practice.

This workshop creates a monthly practice, and heart connecting support of a community of writers all taking the same course. 

So, when it’s bad now,
when I can’t remember what’s lost
and all I have for the world to take
means nothing,
I go out back of the greenhouse
at the far end of my land
where the grasses go wild
and the arroyos come up
with cat’s-claw and giant dahlias,
where the children of my neighbors
consult with the wise heads
of sunflowers, huge against the sky,
where the rivers of weather
and the charred ghosts of old melodies
converge to flood my land
and sustain the one thicket
of memory that calls for me
to come and sit
among the tall canes
and shape full-throated songs
out of wind, out of bamboo,
out of a voice
that only whispers.

Garrett Hongo (excerpted from Something Whispered in the Shakuhachi)

TOPICS EXPLORED IN THIS CLASS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:*

March 8th – Aloha with author Garrett Hongo

Aloha is so much more than a greeting, it’s a way of life. Hawaiians who practice aloha come to see it more as a way of life, practiced in all daily actions.  Aloha is a form of love that includes respect, empathy and unity – all of us are in the practive every day.

April 12th – Ho’oponopono – the ancient Hawaiian practice of Forgiveness.

We all struggle with the concept of forgiveness– both for ourself and for others I have found comfort in a deeply healing age-old practice that comes from Hawai’i. The beautiful Hawaiian Prayer for Forgiveness is called “Ho’oponopono” (pronounced HO-oh-Po-no-Po-no), and it’s lovely.

This Hawaiian practice functions as both a communication concept for reconciliation and a tool for restoring self-love and balance within ourself and our families.

May 10th  – Aloha ‘Āina – Love of Land

Culture is inseperable from the land, and to not know the history of the land you live on is to deny your culture and the culture of those who came before you.. The land whispers, it wave to us and it calls us home to our unique relationship to her. Respecting the land and loving the land (‘Āina). We are sick when she is sick, we are well when we are honoring and loving her and giving back to her.

June 14th – Ohana and our Ancestors

This class will explore the Hawaiian concept of ‘oaha—the intertwining and strengthening of familial bonds—as a framework for exploring personal and collective narratives about family.

July 12th – Kumulipo – (Transformation)

In this class we will learn of the Hawaiian creation chant that traces the origins of life through cosmic, earthly, and spiritual realms. Participants will explore themes of beginnings, connections, and transformations in their own lives, weaving personal and ancestral stories into rich, reflective narratives.

Using the Kumulipo as a guide, we will examine the interconnectedness of all living things, the cycles of life and renewal, and the power of storytelling to honor origins and evolution.

August 9th – Kuleana (Responsibility, Legacy, Purpose)

The class will guide participants in examining the ways kuleana shapes identity, fosters accountability, and connects us to our shared and individual purposes. The six classes will come together for this finaly exploration to delve into themes such as ancestral wisdom, stewardship of the land (‘āina), obligations to loved ones, and the personal growth that comes from honoring one’s kuleana.

NOTE: THEMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON GUEST AUTHORS AND NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS 

By participating in these live classes, you learn the art of writing by practicing, deeply listening,

reading out loud and hearing what is good reflected back to your by students.