Words and Wine Author Night

Each month Kona Stories hosts an event with local and traveling authors. This event happens the First Tuesday evening of the month starting at 6 PM. Authors are available to talk story while you are getting your plate of appetizers and glass of complimentary wine. Authors then give a 15-minute talk about their book and themselves, the writing and publishing process or a short reading from the book. After all the authors presentations there is a time for individual questions and book signings.

Gloria Itman Blum lives in Kailua-Kona on Hawai‘i's Big Island. She is a writer, playwright, teacher, teacher-educator, musical performer and lecturer with Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Education including students with disabilities. She received further training in Holoenergetic Healing. With a lifetime of experience teaching teachers and guiding adults and children of all ages and abilities, Gloria brings all this as well as her own creative gifts to Tūtū's Secret, a poetic story about healing and life in the Hawaiian setting.

While fussing and fighting with his little twin brother, Kimo falls down and hurts himself. Tūtū uses the opportunity to show the boys and their older sister, Lani, how to bring about healing with intention and love. Lani enjoys hearing Tūtū's stories about her life in Hawaii but expresses fear that Tūtū might pass away. Tūtū reassures Lani, "I'll always be with you, whispering in your ear, words of aloha for just you to hear."

Tūtū does eventually pass, but when a little girl falls off the swing in the park and hurts her knee,  - Tūtū remarkably appears to Lani reminding her of her ability to help bring healing to others.  - Tūtū's secret is that "…there's nothing to fear. For I will protect you. I'm always so near."

The Island Heritage book, a poetic Hawaiʻi story about healing and life, is beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Yuko Green, who will also be here.

Yuko Green is an illustrator and author of children’s books, who resides on the Big Island of Hawai’i since 1987. Yuko has illustrated and/or written more than thirty-five children’s books and many childrenʻs activity books, with Hawaiian themes.

“Hawaii’s rich and diverse culture, history and nature is my primary subject and inspiration for creating my children’s books,” Yuko talks about her work, “over the years, my aloha ʻāina, love of the land, has grown deeply, and has been reflected in creating my books for keiki; whether itʻs in vivid stories with traditions of Hawaiʻi or illustrations featuring many native plants and animals. In my latest illustrated children’s book Tūtūʻs Secret written by Gloria Itman Blum, published by Island Heritage, I illustrated many Hawaiian native plants and animals to communicate Tūtūʻs memories from Old Hawaiʻi.

I also used growing kalo as a symbol of ʻohana and how it produce many keiki. I wanted to illustrate to keiki the tūtūʻs wisdom that is passed on to her moʻopuna (grandchildren) in the story, in parallel also celebrate the kaloʻs life cycle.

Besides illustrating and writing childrenʻs books, Yuko is also an art educator. She has taught at K-5th schools, high school, and has presented at college. Yuko graduated with a MA in illustration from The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and BA in Art from the University of Washington. “With my childrenʻs books and art, I hope to celebrate our beautiful Hawaiʻi with young audiences.

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst waited tables and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for “real” job and ending up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as a research and appellate attorney that she rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking, and she once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock, and of course writing. In addition to Justice is Served, Leslie is also the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari Mysteries, a “snarky cozy” culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz, California and Hilo, Hawai‘i. Visit her at LeslieKarstAuthor.com

In this true-life Julie and Julia meets Notorious RBG mash-up, former attorney Leslie Karst recounts how finagling her way into hosting an intimate dinner party for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sends her on a journey of culinary discovery—and, ultimately, completely changes her life.

Justice is Served is Karst’s light-hearted, earnest account of the journey this unexpected challenge launched her on—starting with a trip to Paris for culinary inspiration, and ending with the dinner itself. Along the way, she imparts details of Ginsburg’s transformation from a young Jewish girl from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to one of the most celebrated Supreme Court justices in our nation’s history, and shares recipes for the mouthwatering dishes she came up with as she prepared for the big night. A heartfelt story of simultaneously searching for delicious recipes and purpose in life, Justice is Served is an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to discover—and follow—your deepest passion.