Kinana Hale: An Investigation of the Tropical and the Desert and How They Shape Our Notion of Identity and Self

My project is a series of creative non fiction writing which ranges from small bodies of writing that explore a simple idea or a simple moment to larger essays that contemplate more complicated ideas. The writing attempts to expand on the definition of the personal narrative within the genre of creative non-fiction by juxtaposing personal experience and research to demonstrate what Sandell Morse insists is desired: “Creative non-fiction seems to be filling a universal craving for what is theoretically true… Yet, something insides us craves a reality closer to home.” I combined my personal experiences of growing up on Maui, being removed from Maui and my numerous visits to the island combined with knowledge acquired through extensive research including but not limited to the Hawaiian language, Hawaiian history, monarchy, flora and fauna, geography, lifestyles and values of Maui and the social issues facing a multicultural community of such rich diversity. I explore the idea of home using my unique perspective of the non-definitive and ever changing term, home. I try to express the value of home, the value of land and the value of tradition by exploring the moments in which I have felt at home in a geographical place, in a dwelling place, in a moment shared with another person, in a family recipe and how these experiences I try to capture in writing shape my notion of identity and self