The Hurt Locker/Avatar

The Oscars are tomorrow night and two of the movies up for Best Picture are The Hurt Locker and Avatar, both of which I actually got to see. I just saw Hurt Locker last night at a theatre - there were only around half a dozen other people in the theatre, which I presume means everyone else is watching it on dvd. This was a very powerful movie. Painful to watch but I believe a very important movie. We invaded Iraq in 2003 under the false pretense of searching for weapons of mass destruction. We predictably didn't find any yet we are still in Iraq seven years later, fighting a war that is not ours, in a country that is not ours, in a situation that we can't possibly win and where we are hated by most people in that country. Hurt Locker featured three main characters, each representing a different kind [Read More...]

The Hurt Locker/AvatarLurlineM2019-06-06T23:34:42+00:00

Wilma Mankiller

Update, April 6, 2010, I heard that Wilma passed today. Here is my otherwise unchanged blog from March 3rd: I got word today that Wilma Mankiller is not well. That's a huge understatement but it is not for me to speculate on her health and anyway, there is information elsewhere about her condition. I was mostly relieved that the news wasn't what I originally thought it was going to be. She is hanging on and that means I will pray for her: pray that she is not in pain, pray that whatever is wrong will not get worse and pray that her family is holding up during this most trying and devastating situation. Wilma's name and legendary reputation preceded my meeting her, which made me feel all the more honored when I did meet and get to spend time with her . She included me in her book "Every Day Is A [Read More...]

Wilma MankillerLurlineM2019-06-06T23:39:10+00:00

2010 American Indian Youth Literature Award

The American Indian Library Association gave out its awards this past June 28th for youth literature. My book, Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me, won for best Young Adult Fiction. My publisher, Kamehameha Publishing, sent me to Washington, D.C. to receive the award in person. It was a great trip and a fun ceremony, fun because the Piscataway Indian Nation Singers and Dancers, who offered a cultural presentation, invited the audience up to participate in two dances! Itʻs always nice to visit Washington, where I lived for almost 15 years. Thanks to Jim McCallum for the photo.

2010 American Indian Youth Literature AwardLurlineM2019-06-06T23:40:26+00:00

Tsunami

The ocean ebbed and surged but not enough to cause damage. The tv reporters earned their pay and Kirk Caldwell got some free airtime as acting Mayor, an opportunity I’m sure he was happy to have as he waxed on and on about the awesomeness of nature and how great everybody was to evacuate when they were told to do so. I watched the ocean from my house as it filled with boats that moved far enough out to sea to theoretically escape damage should a big wave hit. I also watched the coverage of the approaching wave(s) on a variety of local stations, including CNN, which was carrying the same coverage as the local stations. In other words, the whole country (can’t speak for what the rest of the world was watching) was poised, watching and waiting for the big wave to hit Hawai’i. I’m sure many of us, especially those [Read More...]

TsunamiLurlineM2019-06-06T23:41:04+00:00

Maui News Review

Cultural spirits meet modern Hawaii in ‘Deep Blue Sea’ BETWEEN THE DEEP BLUE SEA AND ME by Lurline Wailana McGregor (Kamehameha Publishing, $15) Like the lapping of waves on a shoreline, "Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me" enthralls slowly, gently, undeniably. It's an absorbing tale that one can read in a night and, like J.K. Rowling, suggests magic, ghosts and goblins, the latter in the form of prophetic earthquakes. Lurline Wailana McGregor has crafted an absorbing, knowing tale. The novel deals with a cogent isle issue: resolving the search for Native Hawaiian identity. Read Complete Article

Maui News ReviewLurlineM2016-03-01T22:52:10+00:00