Welcome to Lemon Shark Press!

2011-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Kirby Wright wins The Political Poet Poetry Competition, 2011, in Honor of Walt Whitman.He will be reading his Moloka'i stories and excerpts from his new novel at the University of Mass. in Boston on Oct. 18th, 2011.The Reading is FREE and Open to the Public. There will be an early dinner after his reading at:http://www.arkrestaurants.com/durgin_park.html

2011-03-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

Kirby Wright launches first Futuristic Novel: PRELUDE TO THE APOCALYPSE Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga are dead. So is the President. Psytrance parties rage as Palm Springs burns. Police and fire departments are gone. Marital Law is imposed to deal with the riots but the military is overwhelmed when Mexicans storm the border to reclaim California. Warlords battle private

2010-10-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Kirby won a post @ the 2010 Writers Residency in Martha's Vineyard. Here he is with fellow writers Karen Hunt and Patricia Patterson outside the West Tisbury Library, minutes before their scheduled reading.

2010-07-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Fight of the Century (from PUNAHOU BLUES).

2010-06-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

2010-01-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here's another poster from the 2009 International Writers Conference in Hong Kong. This one is called INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SALON, and the title is "Sources of Literary Inspiration: How We Become Writers. Writers that shared their experiences are: Janet Charman, Wena Poon, Kirby Wright, Young-ha Kim, and Miguel Syjuco. Apparently it was taped by the Journalism Dept. at Hong Kong Baptist

2010-01-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Poster from 2009 Hong Kong Writers Conference.

2009-12-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of the Fringe Club, Hong Kong. Taken in November 2009 after Writer Recital. Writers include Atsushi Shiitada (Okinawa), Kirby Wright (Hawaii), Miguel Syjuco (Phillipines), and Young-ha Kim (Korea).

2009-11-14T23:07:00.000-08:00

KIRBY WRIGHT SELECTED AS VISITING WRITER FOR 2009 INTERNATIONAL WRITERS CONFERENCE IN HONG KONGKirby Wright will join fellow US poet GARY SNYDER at the International Writers Conference in Hong Kong this November. Wright was selected as Hawaii's representative and will join a panel of 6 fellow Pacific Rim writers at the month long conference, which includes excursions into Mainland China. His

2009-08-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

Word has it that Kirby Wright is now the new sheriff of Taos, New Mexico.

2009-08-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Kirby Wright discusses DH Lawrence, Mabel Dodge Luhan, etc. in Taos, New Mexico:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bE8IIajlA0

2009-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Chronicle names PUNAHOU BLUES and MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA Best Beach Reads on July 24th, 2009:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/24/alohafriday072409.DTL

2009-06-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here's what the Horse Silver bar looks like!

2009-06-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hot deal! Anyone who sends a check payable to LEMON SHARK PRESS for $39.95 will get: Signed Copies of both PUNAHOU BLUES and MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA plus: a 1-ounce silver bar similar to the one pictured here. Please indicate what Year Of... you desire!

2009-04-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

BEFORE THE CITY Book Review

2009-04-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Book Review: BEFORE THE CITY

2009-04-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Turtle Talk with Kirby Wright

2009-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from Kirby Wright's book lecture over @ the Kona Library. I apologize for getting them up a bit late. FOLKS, Friends of Library Kona, were nice enough to pay for Kirby's flight over to the Big Island for a lecture on Tax Day of all times. Kirby talked about his companion novels PUNAHOU BLUES and MOLOKAI NUI AHINA, and the writing process. Rumor has it that Kirby crossed

2009-04-25T10:52:00.001-07:00

King Baby says Hello!

2009-04-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Good news!You can download MOLOKAI NUI AHINA on KINDLE here:http://www.amazon.com/MOLOKAI-AHINA-Summers-Lonely-Isle/dp/B0026FDJHS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240681237&sr=8-2PUNAHOU BLUES is also available on Kindle:http://www.amazon.com/PUNAHOU-BLUES-a-Hawaiian-Novel/dp/B0026L5LGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240681391&sr=8-1We were thinking about putting up some short stories on the Blog

2009-04-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

Ok, don't get too excited if you're surfing the waters off Hawaii. This photo was taken off San Clemente island and Tommy (the wetsuited surfer) continued surfing despite this close encounter of the JAWS variety. More later about my friend Tommy who frequents this island.

2008-04-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here's an old photo taken at Punahou School circa 1898. Notice the transportation used! This photo courtesy of the Magic Lantern Slide Society. Apparently this building still exists on the school grounds. If anyone can tell me the name of the building please email me anytime at lemonsharkpress @ yahoo dot com.

2008-03-30T16:56:00.001-07:00

Kirby Wright will appear at Borders Hilo at noon to sign copies of his companion novels MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA and PUNAHOU BLUES. Borders is located in the Waiakea Shopping Center. The address is 301 Maka'ala Street, Hilo, HI 96720. MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA is based on the life and times of his grandmother, who was the first woman paniolo (cowboy) on the island of Moloka'i. This novel was praised by the

2008-03-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

FLASHBACK TO 2003: BEFORE THE CITY Book Party & Reading!Kirby's Posse after his Poetry Reading with Congas and fellow poet Ted Burke @ DG WILLS Bookstore, La Jolla, CA.From Left to Right: Donna's date, Donna Mills, Kirby, Darcy, Allen Bernstein, and Gordon Hall.

2008-03-06T21:54:00.001-08:00

Here is the Death Rock that the grandmother had to veer around in the chapter "Kahuna Lady." This lava outcropping bears a human resemblance and legend has it that PELE touched it on the way to the Big Island, making it immortal. County workers gave up trying to move or destroy it so they just built the coastal road around it. There have been sightings of a beautiful Hawaiian girl seated on the

2008-03-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

The View from the Hale Kia ranch across the channel to Maui is spectacular. In this photo Maui is shrouded by clouds but you can still see the long gentle slope of the island and the city of Kaanapali to the right. Pound for pound, Maui is the best island to look at from a distance. And the distance here is only 7 miles. In MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA, the grandmother says she saw a herd of deer

2008-02-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

There's a smaller Church built by Father Damien that appears in the "Luau at the Moloka'i Shores" chapter of MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA. Remember when the grandmother is taking that long slow curve near the Seven Sisters Mountain range and Jeff Gill mentions it? Well, here's a photo of Saint Joseph Church. It marks the halfway point between Kaunakakai and the grandmother's ranch. Five or so miles

2008-02-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA featured on YOU TUBEIf you liked the grandmother character in MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA, you can learn more about her life and times by checking out this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dFCNRR-948Some of what is discussed can actually be found in the chapter "Joe."Photos in the vid were taken during the Book Launch on Moloka'i at various hot spots on the island, such as the Moloka'i

2008-02-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of a GREEN SEA TURTLE found cruising around yesterday in the harbor just to the east of the Cottage and Beach House at http://www.molokaiparadise.com. This tropical estate is the setting for the book MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA, based on the life and times of the island's first woman paniolo (cowboy).

2007-12-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

The Rock Point break on Moloka'i island is outstanding and, still a secret.No easy paddle from a sandy beach here—you need to park your car on a hairpin and then hike with your board off the road, across lava, then jump off the lava pinnacle and paddle out a mile or so offshore, into the deep blue. No fringing reef here. This was where Gramma raced the April Fool's Day Tsunami to the brige, in

2007-12-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of the A-Frame Cottage that appears in MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA. The father in the novel built it so his wife wouldn't have to stay in the Beach House with her nemesis—Gramma. Why was the mother turned off by her mother-in-law? Well, Gramma never remembered her birthday and got the word out that her daughter-in-law was a spoiled, lazy girl from Boston who would turn her sons into

2007-12-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

I happened to be staying at the Royal Hawaiian last week in Waikiki and was strolling down the beach in the direction of Diamond Head. There was a coconut grove and a shaded area just past the Aquarium and I stumbled across this trio of foxes reading, well, can you guess?!

2007-12-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

"And for the first time I realized adults could back themselves into corners so remote that love, or its memory, could no longer reach them."—excerpt from Moloka'i Nui Ahina, Summers on the Lonely Isle."

2007-12-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the beachfront from the novel Moloka'i Nui Ahina. Is that Jeff Gill in the distance? To book your stay, please visit http://www.molokaiparadise.com

2007-12-04T07:48:00.001-08:00

Moloka'i Nui Ahina reviewed in HONOLULU WEEKLY.Here's an excerpt:Punahou graduate and Southern California resident Kirby Wright’s second novel Moloka‘i Nui Ahina: Summers on the Lonely Isle is a sequel of sorts to his previous work Punahou Blues, incorporating many of the same characters. Though Moloka‘i was published under the radar and released with little fanfare, Wright’s latest book is an

2007-12-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

The MOLOKAI PARADISE website is indeed the setting for Moloka'i Nui Ahina, Summers on the Lonely Isle. Please visit and check out the photos at: http://www.molokaiparadise.comYou can visit the Beach House, the Cottage, and take a panoramic tour of the beachfront Jeff and Ben Gill knew as boys growing up in the 60s and 70s.

2007-11-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Appearances by Kirby Wright in Hawaii:January 12, 2008:Borders Waipahu @ 2 pmBorders Kaneohe @ 5 pmJanuary 13th, 2008:Borders Ala Moana @ Noon(in the Victoria Ward Center)@mention this Blog and, with your purchase, Kirby will give you a FREE copy of BEFORE THE CITY!

2007-11-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

What you have heard is true.The next MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA Book Signing in Hawai'i will be at Borders Waipahu in the Waiakele Mall. Drop by Borders and meet Kirby Wright. He'll be there on Saturday, January 12th, 2008 @ 2 p.m. He'll also have copies of PUNAHOU BLUES on hand if you want to purchase the companion novel!

2007-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Next Stop: BOOK BOUTIQUE, Henderson, Nevada!Stop by and pick up a copy of MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA @ Shereen Hale's store in downtown Henderson during Art Walk on October 18th! We're breaking open the Almond Champagne to celebrate Kirby's first book signing in Nevada, and local personalities stopping by to talk story include Haole Jack and Uncle Paul Natto from http://www.50thstateradio.com.As they

2007-09-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Molokai story is a first-rate novelReview by Michael EganSpecial to the Star-Bulletin"Molokai Nui Ahina" is the best work of fiction to come out of Hawaii in many a year. It's funny, touching, persuasive and unforgettable."Molokai Nui Ahina: Summers on the Lonely Isle"by Kirby Wright(Lemon Shark Press)333 pages, $19.95Order via lemonsharkpress.comCast as a first-person childhood memoir, Kirby

2007-09-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Kirby Wright's Signings of MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA in San Diego County:Wright will appear @ Borders Carlsbad @ 7 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 26th. If you can't make it he will be @ Borders Mission Valley the following night, Thursday, September 27th, also @ 7 pm.Borders Carlsbad, 1905 Calle Barcelona, Carlsbad, 92009. In the FORUM MALL. Phone: 760-479-0242. Borders Mission Valley, 1072 Camino Del Rio

2007-09-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

Link to SF Chronicle article:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/06/DDO0RUUVV.DTL

2007-09-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE reviews MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA:Kirby Wright, a former Palo Alto teacher with a master's degree from San Francisco State, received "5 out of 5 shakas" in the Aug. 9 edition of Maui Weekly for his second novel, "Moloka'i Nui Ahina: Summers on the Lonely Isle" (Lemon Shark Press, $19.95). For those unfamiliar with the shaka - a friendly hand gesture like the "y" in American Sign

2007-09-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Chronicle reviews MOLOKA'I NUI AHINACheck out what the Chronicle said:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgf=/c/a/2007/09/06/DDO0RUUVV.DTL&type=travelIf that doesn't work, I'll post the article in its entirety in my next blog.

2007-08-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

We're looking for fiction manuscripts that are literary and have a good regional flavor. We prefer settings in the Western US and the South Pacific. We're also thinking of having a poetry chapbook contest and would love your feedback on this, especially how much $ and copies should be given, as well as nominations for judges. We are partial to experimental poetry, especially the prose poem.

2007-08-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA is now available @ Borders Ala Moana and also Borders Waipahu in the Waikele Mall. We're doing a Book Launch in Las Vegas from Oct. 18 thru the 23rd, so if you're in the Vegas area we'd love for you to stop by and meet the author. Email us and I'll give you times and dates for his book signings. You can also catch Kirby Wright on internet radio out of Las Vegas weekday

2007-08-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Review by MAUI WEEKLY:http://www.mauiweekly.com/the_bookshelf/story4914.aspx

2007-08-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce the publication of Kirby Wright's second novel, one that could be considered a companion novel to his earlier PUNAHOU BLUES.Ever wonder how Ben and Jeff Gill spent their summers on Moloka'i? Well, wonder no longer. Follow them as they roam a paradise of fishponds, herds of wild deer, isolated bays, and rugged coastlines. And meet their Grandmother, the island's first

2006-04-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Kirby Wright's Book Signings in San Diego CountyWelcome all Punahou Alums and Pacific Islanders! Hele On Down and come help us celebrate the publication of PUNAHOU BLUES: a Hawaiian Novel.Kirby Wright will be signing copies at the following locations and times. Pick up a signed copy as a gift for Father's Day!BORDERS CARLSBAD1905 Calle BarcelonaCarlsbad, CA 92009760-479-0242Saturday, June 17th,

2006-04-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Kirby Wright on Las Vegas Radio NewsKirby's getting to be a regular on Uncle Paul Natto's Hawaiian Radio News Station in Vegas. If you're in Nevada and in the nearby bordering towns of Needles or Barstow, check them out at: http://www.hawaiiankinenews.com/radio.htmlThe Trivia Question today was: Who was the morning radio host on KGMB in the 60s who played everything from Kui Lee to the Andrew

2005-12-08T01:19:00.000-08:00

KIRBY WRIGHT to appear at BORDERS WARD CENTREKirby Wright will be signing copies of PUNAHOU BLUES at Borders Ward Centre in Honolulu on Saturday, January 14th, 2006 from 2 to 4 pm. The address is 1200 Ala Moana Boulevard. The first run edition of 5,000 copies has been sold out and Borders Ward Centre has the last two remaining cases of BLUES. This first run will be a collector's edition so, if

2005-10-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

KIRBY WRIGHT On NBC MORNING NEWSKirby Wright will be interviewed on NBC Morning News in mid-January 2006.He will be discussing the creative process and his new novel PUNAHOU BLUES. He will also be sharing secrets he gleaned from the likes of Kurt Vonnegut, Frances Mayes, Maxine Hong Kingston, Harry Petrakis, Molly Giles, Bobbie Louise Hawkins, Jerome Rothenberg, and the late Allen

2005-10-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

PUNAHOU BLUES and MICHELLE WIE?Everyone knows golf phenom Michelle Wie attends Punahou High School in Hawaii, right?Well, strange as this may sound, the heroine of Kirby Wright's PUNAHOU BLUES is a Korean girl who also happens to be a star athlete. Is this a coincidence or intended? It must be a coincidence since Wright had been working on the manuscript off and on for 5 years. I recently

2005-05-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

PUNAHOU BLUES, A Hawaiian NovelISBN 0974106712Lemon Shark Press is pleased to announce the publication of PUNAHOU BLUES by Kirby Wright.This is a coming of age novel set in Honolulu during the 60s and 70s. It's a very nostalgic read for locals and will give mainlanders a good idea of what it was like growing up in the islands. Please send $19.95 for shipping and handling, payable to LEMON SHARK

2005-03-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

LEMON SHARK PRESS TO PUBLISH NOVELWe will be releasing our first novel in early Summer 2005. The author studied at one time or another with the following writers and poets: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Bobbie Louise Hawkins, Jerome Rothenberg, William Dickey, and the late Allen Ginsberg. Please check back periodically for an update.Thanks,Kristofps. sales of BEFORE THE CITY have topped the 1000-mark,

2005-01-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Kirby Wright Wins FIRST PLACE at 2003 San Diego Book Awards Wright's BEFORE THE CITY took First Place at the 10th Annual San Diego Book Awards held in May 22, 2004 in Del Mar. On stage, Wright credited his wife Darcy's unwavering belief in him as being instrumental in his success as a published poet. He also stressed the need to slow down and to remember that the riches are in your interior

2004-07-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Wright's BTC gets Excellent Review on HAWAII PUBLIC TV BEFORE THE CITY received rave reviews from Honolulu critic CHIP DAVEY on OLELO, Hawaii's Public TV Station 56. The show is entitled "Chip Davey's Book Review" and Davey read the title poem "Before the City" as well as "Winter at Oceanside Beach, California." Davey commented on the difficulty of both understanding and writing meaningful

2004-07-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

HAWAII PUBLIC TV to Review Kirby Wright's BEFORE THE CITY Honolulu critic Chip Davey will review BEFORE THE CITY on Sunday, July 11th @ 6 pm on Channel 56. It will be interesting to hear what Davey thinks of poems set in the islands, such as Wright's award-winning "Aloha,Lili'uokalani." Davey is a prose writer and he teaches college English. He is also a former Damien High instructor. His

2004-01-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

KIRBY WRIGHT TO READ AT BARNES & NOBLE IN HAWAII AND CALIFORNIA Kirby Wright will be reading and signing copies of BEFORE THE CITY at Barnes & Noble in Kahala Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii on January 10th at 1 pm. The address is 4211 Waialae Avenue and the phone # is 808-737-3323. Wright plans on reading his two Pushcart Prize nominations. He will also read excerpts from his coming of age novel

2003-10-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

DG WILLS BOOKSTORE, 7-10 pm, October 25th, 2003 KIRBY WRIGHT's reading at DG Wills Bookstore in La Jolla, CA was a success. He read with fellow UCSD alum TED BURKE and was accompanied by percussionist Will JOY. Wright and Burke go back to the early 80s at UCSD, where profs such as Jerome Rothenberg, Michael Davidson, and Paul Dresman roamed the campus. Burke read "Rexall" and "Machine Head"