The Reading Room—a series of Hawaiʻi author interviews produced by the Leeward Community College Educational Media Center’s Video Production Unit has collaborated with the Hawaiʻi Library Association (HLA) to share the program’s impact and role in local literacy efforts.
Since 2016, The Reading Room has become a platform for Hawaiʻi‘s writers and poets to share their personal stories with a global audience. Created by Ann Inoshita, a Leeward CC English professor, the initiative highlights the creative journeys of local authors, fostering community connections through literature.
In an interview with HLA members Junie Hayashi and Natalie Kahn, both librarians at Leeward CC, Inoshita shared her reflections on the program. The interview is now available on the HLA Youtube channel ahead of two upcoming awareness events in April: National Library Week and National Poetry Month.
“Libraries are a space where stories are shared, and the community is encouraged to value their unique voices,” said Inoshita. “Collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Library Association raises awareness of The Reading Room to promote literacy and writing for everyone.”
- Related UH News story: Leeward CC’s The Reading Room returns with local authors’ insights, February 26, 2024
To continue the conversation, educators, librarians and literature lovers are invited to join a live virtual Q&A session with Inoshita, Hayashi and Kahn, which will be hosted by Stephanie Robertson on April 10, 2025, at 12 p.m. This interactive event will offer attendees a chance to discuss the interview, explore how The Reading Room can be integrated into library programs and classrooms, and brainstorm new ways that libraries can support local literary voices.
The Reading Room series has expanded its reach and can be viewed on YouTube and on UHTV spectrum 355 in a rotating schedule. Recent episodes featured notable authors Mahina Kauhi, Victoria Nālani Kneubuhl, Brenda Kwon, Brandy Nālani McDougall, Chris McKinney, and Lois-Ann Yamanaka.
As The Reading Room continues to grow, its collaboration with libraries is central to amplifying local voices and ensuring the stories of Hawaiʻi‘s writers are shared, celebrated and studied.
—By Carina Anne Noelani Chernisky, public services librarian, UH West Oʻahu
