Kona Stories Hosting Next ‘Words and Wine’ Event on Nov. 7

Kona Stories courtesy photo.

Kona Stories Book Shop will host its monthly Words and Wine event featuring local authors on Saturday, Nov. 7, starting at 6 p.m. The event provides an opportunity for the public to meet and greet published local authors and enjoy complimentary pūpū and wine.

Novemberʻs featured Words and Wine authors will be Dr. Sandra E. Bonura, Robert Frutos, Michael Foley and Peggy Barnes Budd.

Dr. Bonura is a Southern California resident and educator with a marked interest in education, history and Hawai‘i. She lectures and tells stories about the importance of using multiple primary sources to get varying perspectives on historical events.

Bonura is the author of “Light in the Queen’s Garden,” a documentary recounting Ida May Pope, a pioneering educator from America who played a significant role in educating Hawaiian children during the 19th century. Ida May Pope accepted a teaching job at a boarding school founded by American missionaries and led by Queen Lili‘uokalani. This temporary position became a lifelong career that immersed Pope in the greatest political turmoil experienced by Native Hawaiians at the time. The story incorporates newly discovered primary sources relating a historical account of the 1893 Hawaiian Revolution that literally happened outside the school’s windows.

Acclaimed and internationally known author, Robert Frutos, has authored a wide range of topics based on his own in-depth knowledge and experiences on Hawai‘i Island. Frutos will share some of his many successful books with a focus on Hawai‘i Island guide books. His works include “Hawai’i: The Best Day Hikes on the Big Island,” “Day Hikes in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai’i,” “The Best Beaches on the Big Island, Hawai’i,” “The Most Beautiful Places to Visit on the Big Island,” “A Photographer’s Guide to the Big Island,” “A Photographer’s Guide to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park” and “Sacred Sites of the Big Island.” His new book, “Happiness is a Choice: The Art of Soulful Living,” outlines techniques, insights and practices for creating real and lasting happiness and sharing it with others.

Michael Foley is a Hawi resident who has been writing poetry since childhood. An English native, he worked 20 years backstage in London’s West End theaters, and another 15 years in American schools as an English teacher. His work has appeared in Encyclopedia Britannica’s Extension Service, JM Dent Everyman Encyclopedia, Sightlines Journal of British Theatre Technicians, Resurgence magazine, Methuen’s Anthology of Theatre Verse and small press publications such as Trillium, Lookout and Fireweed.

Foley’s work is collected in “Watching the Egg Dance in the Pan” and most recently, “Hair of the Barista.” A second chapbook of ten poems written in Malaga called “Beauty It Turns Out” will be published in late 2017, in addition to a larger collection of poems set in Hawaiʻi called “Last Night the Rain Came In.” Tales From the Wings, a memoir from his year as a stagehand in Stratford-Upon-Avon with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, continues to be a work in progress. He is a member of Na Kupuna O Kohala hula halau.

Peggy Barnes Budd will attend Words and Wine to present a book sharing the amazing life of her mother, Alice Barnes. “Alice Barnes: American Activist,” first published in 1982 to celebrate Barnes’ 75th birthday, was recently reprinted. Barnes worked with advocates of all backgrounds and classes, speaking, marching and demonstrating against injustice. In her 96 years of life, she set a significant example of the difference a single person’s commitment can make. A recipient of numerous forms of recognition, Barnes was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame of San Diego’s Women’s Museum of California in 2003.

Words and Wine will begin at 6 p.m. with an informal meet-and-greet, merging into a more formal book presentation from each author. The event will conclude around 8 p.m. with a Q&A session. Dress is casual aloha wear.

Kona Stories is located in the Keauhou Shopping Center. For more information call (808) 324-0350.