Our Vision: We believe in the power of writing to change people's lives and acknowledge that writers help make the Pacific region a place of creativity and peace.

Our Mission is to encourage and support nature, environment and place based creative writing programs, and youth writing and reading programs that encourage nature writers.

PWC engages cultural and arts communities in Hawai'i and the Pacific to ensure their voices are heard and to encourage celebrations and cultural exchanges.

PWC also seeks to increase global awareness and healing through the expression of Hawaiian, Pacific and other Indigenous voices and values, providing a network for creative writers to build and nurture a vibrant community and healthy environment for future generations.

Goals

The Pacific Writers Connection was established in 2001 and aims to support, complement, and encourage collaboration among existing literary journals and publications, writing and poetry groups, and related artistic communities in Hawaii and the Pacific.

Informed by feedback from participants in PWC's writers' workshops, retreats, seminars and conferences, PWC's goals are to:

• strengthen the writing and arts communities in Hawai‘i and the wider Pacific and raise public awareness of Pacific writers and artists
• develop and strengthen partnerships with existing arts organizations and academic programs
• nurture, encourage and strengthen creative writing, culture and arts communities in Hawaii and the Pacific by establishing a strong writers' network and facilitating writing programs
• promote and coordinate writers' workshops, retreats, seminars, and readings, focused on nature, place, culture and the environment;
• encourage creative writers to develop their unique voices in writing about their passion;
• improve family literacy in Hawaiian and Pacific families and communities;
• promote better understanding of one another as people, as part of nature;
• encourage greater compassion and respect for people and the natural world.

Community Need

PWC started with a need expressed by community leaders in Hawai’i to foster writers and connect them to others who share common ideas and concerns about nature, the environment, culture and traditions. Community leaders and writers are concerned about the adverse effects of global warming and climate change, erosion of Indigenous cultures and traditions, and the impacts of population growth and development on land, water, forests and ocean resources of Hawai’i and the Pacific. PWC is also concerned about family and youth literacy in Hawai’i and the Pacific and the need to improve literacy in culturally appropriate ways.

• This need was initially expressed by writers and community leaders from Hawai’i, the Pacific Islands and the U.S. mainland who first met at a literary gathering in Hana, Maui in 2001. PWC responded to these community concerns and has implemented a series of writers' workshops, retreats, seminars, residencies and conferences in Hawa’i over the last four years.
  
• PWC will continue to work collaboratively with others to support and inspire creative writers in Hawai'i and the Pacific, further develop their writing skills and raise environmental awareness through workshops, retreats, seminars, field experiences and public readings. PWC's projects are a response to a critical need expressed by community leaders and participants in PWC’s previous creative writing programs and activities to provide opportunities to support and promote creative writers in Hawai'i and the Pacific to express their concerns about culture, place, nature and environmental issues.
  
• PWC's programs address an urgent need to enable people with unique natural and cultural histories to express their concerns and share cultural values as a way of inspiring a deep-seated sense of stewardship for the environment, and the history, cultures and traditions that have been gifted to them. People in Hawai’i and the Pacific have expressed concerns about the adverse impacts of globalization, global warming and climate change, environmental degradation, and the loss of traditions and cultures on their families and communities. Policy makers, environmentalists and citizens are concerned about the degradation of precious resources such as water, land and the oceans. Inspiring future generations’ understanding of the distinct continuum of their place will strengthen ways to protect their communities from the adverse effects of globalization and ecological degradation.
  
• People in Hawai’i and the Pacific have much to contribute to enhance global citizenship and encourage greater compassion for people and the natural world. There is a need for their voices to be heard and to build community capacity to deal with key issues and concerns. There is also an urgent need to develop culturally appropriate programs to address issues of family and youth literacy in Hawaiian and Pacific families and communities. PWC’s creative writing programs provide a direct benefit to writers in Hawaiian and Pacific communities to enable them to explore this written form of artistic expression to enhance cultural identity and reduce levels of low self esteem.

Population Served

PWC's programs target Hawai'i and Pacific writers (both established and emerging), young writers and distinguished guest writers. PWC also will develop programs targetted at family and youth literacy in Hawaiian and Pacific families and communities, and emerging writers in isolated communities living on the neighbor islands.

How PWC fills this need

PWC fills this need by organizing and facilitating:

• writing retreats, workshops, seminars, conferences, and residencies;
• public readings and discussions;
• writing and reading groups;
• opportunities for exchange between writers and a wide range of individuals, including artists, scientists, historians, social justice advocates, and other community leaders;
• developing programs with an emphasis on strengthening family and youth literacy in partnership with other organizations;
• partnerships with writers, environmentalists, schools and universities, business, cultural and community organizations in Hawaii and the Pacific;
• support for Indigenous, environmental, and women’s writing initiatives in Hawaii and the Pacific;
• a network and database of writers, literary activities and journals in Hawaii and the Pacific;
• a website to communicate with writers and program participants;

The Pacific Writers’ Connection has evolved over the last four years as a voluntary a non-profit organization incorporated and was incorporated under the laws of the State of Hawai’i as a non-profit corporation with a Board of Directors in June 2004. PWC has recently applied to the IRS for recognition as a tax exempt organization with 501(c)(3) status.

Leadership and Staff

• Leadership for PWC is provided by its Directors and Advisory Board. The Directors, Dr. Takiora Ingram, Susan O’Connor and Maile Meyer, have extensive experience in arts advocacy, community arts development, management of non-profit organisations, environmental protection and advocacy, community awareness programs, writing, business and publishing.
• Leadership of the PWC is also strengthened by the LOL2005 Steering Committee which currently meets monthly, and its Advisory Board.
• PWC's Executive Director, Takiora Ingram, also is supported and assisted by two part time staff members, Napali Souza and Ben Hausmann.

PWC Advisory Board

PWC has established an Advisory Board comprising the following people:

Hawaii

• Naomi Losch, Associate Professor, Hawaiian and Pacific Languages, University of Hawaii
• Dr. Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa, Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawaii
• Frank Stewart, Professor of English and Editor, Manoa Journal, University of Hawaii
• Robert Sullivan, English Department, University of Hawaii
• Barbara Pope, Barbaro Pope Books
• Brad Kaiwi Lum
• Joy Kobayashi-Cintron, Bamboo Ridge Press
• Lorna Hershinow, Hawaii Writing Project
• Senator Kalani English
• Angela B. Franco

Friends of PWC

• Dame Meg Taylor, Ombudsman, International Finance Corporation, World Bank, Washington, D.C.
• Lelei Lelaulu, President, Counterpart International, Washington, D.C.
• Laurie Lane-Zucker, Executive Director, Triad Institute, Massachussetts
• Mark Walters, Associate Professor Department of Journalism and Media Studies, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

PWC's Previous Programs, Activities and Achievements The PWC has evolved as a non-profit organization and has implemented a range of programs and activities that have supported and fostered writers in Hawaii, the Pacific Islands and the U.S. mainland. The following programs are some examples: