Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 9, 1 September 2022 — 'Ōiwi Poet Published [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

'Ōiwi Poet Published

One year ago, poet No'u Revilla was offered a book deal by prestigious independent publisher Milkweek Editions after beating more

than 1,600 other poets in the 2021 National Poetry Series open competition. The resulting book, Ask the

Brindled, is a 141-page tribute to survival, resistance and the unbreakable bonds between Indigenous women and queer Kānaka 'Ōiwi and spotlights themes of desire and intergenerational healing. A native of Wai'ehu, Maui, Revilla received a Ph.D. in English from UH Mānoa and is now an assistant professor at the university teaching creative writing with an emphasis on 'Ōiwi literature. Revilla's book includes poems in both English and olelo Hawai'i and are based on her dissertation whieh explores how aloha is possible in the face of colonization and sexual violence. Revilla is the first openly queer 'Ōiwi woman to publish a fulllength collection of poetry. Revilla was inspired by late UH Mānoa Professor Emerita Haunani-Kay Trask who was a celebrated Indigenous author and poet. Revilla's poem, "Recovery, Waikīkī" is dedicated to Trask who mentored her in college. "Poetry helps me to reflect on and metabolize heartbreak, espeSEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 26

NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 27 cially as an 'Ōiwi wahine who loves and will always struggle for my aina. Poetry helps me to recenter in aloha, whieh in a very real way means poetry helps me to listen to my kūpuna better," said Revilla. Ask the Brindled will debut on September 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Ka Waiwai in Mō'ili'ili. It is available for purchase online and at Native Books.