We spoke with Misty Sanico of Bamboo Ridge Press—winner of the 2026 Firecracker Award in Fiction for Blood Work and Other Stories by Donald A. Carreira Ching—in our latest member spotlight.
What is the history behind Bamboo Ridge Press? When was it founded and what is its mission?
Bamboo Ridge Press traces its origins back to 1978, when a small group of educators and writers organized the landmark Talk Story Conference in Honolulu—an initiative to define Hawaiʻi’s local literature and unite writers creating works focused on the islands. Serving as a vital catalyst, the gathering inspired poet Eric Chock and fiction writer Darrell H. Y. Lum to establish Bamboo Ridge as a literary quarterly, creating a dedicated home for local authors and poets whose work was underrepresented in mainland publishing.
Nearly five decades later, that original vision continues to guide us through our mission: “To foster the appreciation, understanding, and creation of literary, visual, or performing arts by, for, or about Hawaiʻi’s people.”
From its beginnings as a literary journal to its growth into an independent nonprofit press, Bamboo Ridge has been a home for multiethnic perspectives, immigrant narratives, and the deep connections between land, language, and community. We proudly champion the diverse voices of Hawaiʻi, embracing the rich linguistic tapestry of our islands—from Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin) and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi to the heritage languages brought by successive generations.
Can you tell us about some recent or upcoming Bamboo Ridge Press titles?
We publish two volumes a year: a literary journal featuring poetry and prose from both emerging and established writers, and a single-author book or themed anthology. Our recent and upcoming lineup showcases the depth and breadth of island storytelling:
- Sporting Girl by Scott Kikkawa (Summer 2026; Bamboo Ridge Issue 129): The fourth mystery in Kikkawa’s popular noir series (following Kona Winds, Red Dirt, and Char Siu) is set in the Territory of Hawaiʻi in the 1950s and follows Francis Yoshikawa, a WWII Nisei veteran turned Honolulu homicide detective.
- Aloha Is Endangered by Tamara Wong-Morrison (Fall 2026; Bamboo Ridge Issue 130): Wong-Morrison’s debut poetry collection is both an intimate family memoir and a fierce, lyrical call to protect island life. Her poems document the shift from sunsetting sugar plantations to booming tourism, celebrating the resilience, rhythms, and deep lineage of Kānaka Maoli and local families.
- Shore Lines by Sue Cowing (Spring 2027; Bamboo Ridge Issue 131): The first full-length poetry collection from celebrated poet and author Sue Cowing will offer luminous reflections on coastal life, memory, and island landscapes.
- Bamboo Ridge Issue 132 (Fall/Winter 2027): Our forthcoming literary journal anthology will be guest-edited by Mindy Pennybacker and Don Wallace, both longtime pillars of Hawaiʻi’s arts, culture, and literary community. This issue will feature a breadth of emerging and established local writers here in Hawaiʻi.
Blood Work and Other Stories by Donald A. Carreira Ching recently received CLMP’s 2026 Firecracker Award for Fiction. What does this recognition mean to you?
Receiving the Firecracker Award for Blood Work and Other Stories is an exciting milestone for Bamboo Ridge Press. It speaks to the purpose our founders imagined in 1978: to publish literature shaped by Hawaiʻi’s languages, histories, and communities, and to help that work reach readers well beyond our shores.
Donald A. Carreira Ching renders contemporary life in Hawaiʻi with extraordinary precision. Across these stories, Hawaiʻi is never simply a setting. Place carries history, genealogy, tension, and consequence. His characters emerge from distinct communities and relationships to the islands, and the collection allows those differences to remain complex. His use of Pidgin (Hawaiʻi Creole English) is equally attentive. It shifts from story to story with the speaker and the place, revealing the language’s range and living texture.
Bamboo Ridge published Donald’s first novel in 2015 and Blood Work a decade later. To see this collection receive such significant recognition is a profound joy. The award honors Donald’s artistry while affirming that literature can remain wholly faithful to the particularities of Hawaiʻi and still speak powerfully to readers everywhere. It also offers encouragement to writers here: their language, experiences, and understandings of place are not peripheral to literary culture. They are part of what gives it depth.
Can you tell us about your literary journal, Bamboo Ridge? What can readers look forward to in your next issue(s)?
Bamboo Ridge is the name of both our flagship literary journal and our nonprofit press—with the journal named first. The name was inspired by an essay written by Tony Lee, one of co-founder Darrell Lum’s students, about the famous fishing spot on Oʻahu called Bamboo Ridge.
There, shoreline anglers wedge long bamboo poles into the volcanic rock, whiling away hours talking story and telling each other tales while waiting for the prized ulua (giant trevally) to bite. As Eric and Darrell often observed, writing and publishing are just like that: sitting out on the rocks, casting your line into the wind, and enjoying the process of sharing stories. You might not catch a fish every time, but if you don’t cast the line, you’ll never land the big one. The persistence of the fishermen navigating the rocky, often dangerous shore at Bamboo Ridge became a metaphor for the resilience and dedication needed to write and publish stories that challenge dominant narratives.
Readers diving into our upcoming journal issues can look forward to that same spirit: genuine, place-rooted poetry and prose from authors who keep casting their lines.
Which distributor is Bamboo Ridge Press working with? How can bookstores and libraries find and order your titles?
We work with key distribution partners to ensure our catalog of almost five decades remains widely accessible. We partner with local publisher Bess Press, who hosts and fulfills over forty of our frontlist and backlist titles directly through their online store for individual readers and retailers. It’s the largest collection of Bamboo Ridge Press books available online anywhere. We also have a long-standing relationship with The Islander Group (Booklines Hawaiʻi) for island-wide distribution of select titles.
Booksellers and libraries on the continent and abroad can order Bamboo Ridge Press titles through Itasca Books as well as major trade wholesalers like Ingram.
Are there any indie bookstores that you think do a particularly good job featuring titles from indie publishers? If so, what do they do?
We are immensely grateful to our local independent bookstores, who serve as vital literary and cultural anchors across the islands.
- da Shop: books + curiosities (Kaimukī, Oʻahu) regularly opens its space for Bamboo Ridge Press book launches, community readings, and events. They actively advocate for Hawaiʻi books through their newsletter and monthly features in HONOLULU Magazine.
- Native Books: Arts & Letters (Honolulu, Oʻahu) generously hosts community workshops, panel discussions, and readings, giving prominent shelf space to local authors and small presses.
- Basically Books (Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island) has long been a dedicated champion of local literature, ensuring that local literary voices reach readers across Hawaiʻi Island and beyond.
How can interested writers submit their work to Bamboo Ridge Press?
Submissions for our upcoming anthology, Issue 132, recently closed. However, writers can engage with us through our ongoing monthly competitions: Bamboo Shoots Writing Contests, for poetry and flash fiction, and Go Try Playwrite, a ten-page playwriting contest held in collaboration with Kumu Kahua Theatre.
For future general calls, writers are encouraged to subscribe to our newsletter, visit our website, or follow us on social media (@bambooridge).
