"The Atlas of Hawaii, Third Edition," edited by Sonia P.
and James O. Juvik, took top honors at the Hawaii Book
Publishers Association awards.

Publishers pick Hawaii’s best

By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin

This year's edition of the Ka Palapala Po'okela awards for the top books published in Hawaii was hosted by the Hawaii Book Publishers Association.

The awards, presented Friday at the Hawaii State Library are decided by an academy of interested parties, including librarians, booksellers, members of the media and publishers. Winners, awards of merit and honorable mentions were chosen from 90 nominees in 13 categories. These were divided into General and Technical divisions.

From these 1999 winners, HBPA members selected the Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau Award for best Hawaii book of the year, honoring "The Atlas of Hawaii, Third Edition," edited by Sonia P. and James O. Juvik, and published by the University of Hawaii Press.

In addition to the Kamakau award, "The Atlas of Hawaii" was the winner for both Non-Fiction and Hawaiian Culture books, and in technical categories JoAnn Tenorio was recognized as the winner in the Production category, and designer Kenneth Miyamoto and editors Sonia P. and James O. Juvik were recognized with awards of merit in Design and Writing Non-Fiction. "Atlas" took a total of six awards.

HBPA members also selected The John Dominis Holt Award winner, recognizing an individual's contributions to Hawaii book publishing. This year, the academy decided to once again honor Mary Kawena Pukui for her "tireless efforts in the preservation and publication of knowledge on Hawaiian history, language, music and dance. Kawena authored or co-authored many of the key resources now used in today's Hawaiian studies."

Books and individuals recognized included:

GENERAL CATEGORIES

Excellence in Children's Books

Winner: "Kolea: The Story of the Pacific Golden Plover" by Marion Coste, illustrations by Fred E. Salmon Jr., University of Hawaii Press

Award of Merit: "Fables from the Garden" by Leslie Ann Hayashi, illustrations by Kathleen Wong Bishop, UH Press

Honorable Mention: "The Prince and the Li Hing Mui" by Sandi Takayama, illustrations by Esther Szegedy, The Bess Press

Excellence in Non-fiction Books

Winner: "Atlas of Hawai'i, Third Edition" edited by Sonia P. and James O. Juvik, UH Press

Excellence in Literature

Winner: "Growing Up Local: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose from Hawaii" edited by Eric Chock, James R. Harstad, Darrell H.Y. Lum and Bill Teter, Bamboo Ridge Press

Excellence in Hawaiian Culture

Winner: "Atlas of Hawai'i, Third Edition" edited by Sonia P. and James O. Juvik, UH Press

Award of Merit: "Hawaiian Heritage Plants, Revised Edition" by Angela Kay Kepler, UH Press

Honorable Mention: "Kaua'i: Ancient Place-Names and Their Stories" by Frederick B. Wichman, UH Press

Excellence in Illustrative or Photographic Books

Winner: "Fables from the Garden" by Leslie Ann Hayashi, illustrations by Kathleen Wong Bishop, UH Press

Award of Merit: "Archipelago: Life Cycle of the Hawaiian Islands; A Portfolio of Paintings by Reuben Tam" by Reuben Tam, Honolulu Academy of Arts

Excellence in Guidebooks

Winner: "The Elder Law Hawai'i Handbook: Protecting Your Health, Wealth, and Personal Wishes" by James H. Pietsch and Lenora H. Lee, UH Press

Award of Merit: "Divorce with Decency: The Complete How-To Handbook and Survivor's Guide to the Legal, Emotional, Economic, and Social Issues" by Bradley A. Coates, UH Press

Honorable Mention: "So You Want to Live in Hawai'i: A Guide to Settling and Succeeding in the Islands" by Toni Polancy, Barefoot Publishing

Excellence in Specialty Books

Winner: "Hawaiian Lei Making: Step-by-Step Guide" by Laurie Shimizu Ide, Mutual Publishing

TECHNICAL CATEGORIES

Excellence in Production

Winner: JoAnn Tenorio for "Atlas of Hawai'i, Third Edition," UH Press

Excellence in Illustration

Winner: Geraldine King Tam for "Paradisus: Hawaiian Plant Watercolors by Geraldine King Tam," Honolulu Academy of Arts

Excellence in Photography

Winner: Angela Kay Kepler for "Hawaiian Heritage Plants, Revised Edition," University of Hawaii Press

Award of Merit: Alan Houghton for "Heartbeat of Hawai'i: Alan Houghton's Photographic Hula Collection," Island Heritage Publishing

Excellence in Design

Winner: Barbara Pope for "Paradisus: Hawaiian Plant Watercolors by Geraldine King Tam," Honolulu Academy of Arts

Award of Merit: Kenneth Miyamoto for "Atlas of Hawai'i, Third Edition," UH Press

Honorable Mention: Carol Colbath for "Hawaiian Country Tables: Vintage Recipes for Today's Cook," The Bess Press

Excellence in Writing Literature

Winner: Milton Murayama for "Plantation Boy," UH Press

Award of Merit (tie): Maxine Hong Kingston for "Hawai'i One Summer," University of Hawaii Press; and Gary Pak for "A Ricepaper Airplane," UH Press

Excellence in Writing Non-fiction

Winner: Tom Coffman, for "Nation Within: The Story of America's Annexation of the Nation of Hawai'i," Epicenter

Award of Merit: Sonia P. and James O. Juvik for "Atlas of Hawai'i, Third Edition," UH Press

Honorable Mention: George Chaplin for "Presstime in Paradise: The Life and Times of The Honolulu Advertiser, 1856-1995," UH Press

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