The Lobby | Happenings
Reading ’Riggers
Reading ‘Riggers’ enjoys a mix of history, fiction, mystery, poetry, and in one case, spirituality, all in the name of Hawaiiana. Past, Present and Future
By Gerry DeBenedetti
➳ PAST This year began with the second volume of Jane Good- sill’s “Voices of Hawai‘i —Vol. 2: Preserving Island Culture One Story at a Time.” Lots of OCC members have been interviewed in both volumes, and Jane is currently working on Vol III. Then in February, we celebrated a late OCC member, Marjorie Jane Putnam Sinclair, rumored to have written some of her material in the OCC bar. Two bagpipers from the Caledonian Society of Hawai‘i came dressed in full regalia in March to help us present “The Story of Scots in Hawai‘i” by late OCC member Rhoda Hackler. And in April, former State Attorney General David Louie shared both his political remembrances and his unknown (to us) woodworking and restoration talents with “From The Desk of the Attorney General: A Memoir.” In May, we read the spiritual title, “Change We Must” by Nana Veary. Joan Rodby and friends reminisced about the author and we ended up with a “wow” presentation. Then, we read “Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island” by Mark Jerome Walters and got to speak with resource presenter Megan Laut from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. PRESENT A brand new book by local author and surfing news reporter Mindy Pennybacker is our title: “Surfing Sisterhood Hawai’i: Wahine Reclaiming the Waves.” OCC members Kai‘ulu Downing and Evie Black, both featured in the book, join Mindy for a presentation on
women surfing. It’s a very timely title considering the summer swells! FUTURE Another stretch for Reading ‘Riggers is coming in August with “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead. Our resource presenter will be OCC member and pilot Don Machado because he flies airplanes, as does the subject of this book. According to Time magazine we can expect “two plane crashes, a sunken ship and several people dead.” Plus, there’s a chapter set in Hawai‘i. In September, we’re reading Richard White’s “Who Killed Jane Stanford: A Gilded Age Tale.” It’s about a murder that occurred in the Moana Hotel and is the story of Stanford University’s co-founder who died under mysterious circumstances. Non-resident OCC member Sandy Miller, who is a Board member of the Cantor Museum at Stanford, will be our resource presenter. We’re still figuring out October, so watch this space! For November, author Chip Hughes will be present to talk about his series on fictional surfing detective Kai Cooke. This Reading ‘Riggers will have six easy reading titles, “Murder on Moloka‘i,” “Wipeout!,” “Kula,” “Murder at Volcano House,” “Hanging Ten in Paris Trilogy,” and “Barking Sands.” In December, we’ll read “Lei Aloha: Celebrating the Vibrant Flowers and Lei of Hawai‘i” by OCC members Meleana Estes and Jennifer Fiedler, both will be present. It’s a perfect book for gifting!
12 AMA | JULY / AUGUST 2023
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