Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Courtesy of Kahuaomanoa press "How to be a Good Ojoosan" is available at the UH Bookstore.

On Sunday, Tammie Oka, local poet, had a book reading at the HIG auditorium for her new collection of poems, "How to be a good Ojoosan." Ojoosan is a Japanese term that refers to a daughter of others, a kinship with someone else's child.

"Tammie's poetry represents an important younger voice, one which is unafraid to challenge stereotypes and write with rawness and honesty about family, identity, sex, and intimacy," says Brandy McDougall, co-founder of Kahuaomanoa Press. Oka's collection is being published by the student-run press, which is dedicated to publishing student collections of poetry and art.

Oka graduated from UH Mānoa with a BA in journalism and English in 2005, and recently completed her MA in English in May 2007.

When asked why she writes poetry, Oka replied: "Today most people would opt to watch a movie rather than read a book about that movie. Well, maybe except for the Harry Potter installments. Poetry is brief, creative, and to the point. So much bravado is packed into a few lines. I think poetry can be the return to literature that this generation needs."

Oka's poetic influences include Ted Kooser, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Robert Sullivan, and Albert Wendt.

"I credit Professor Robert Sullivan for sparking my interest in poetry," Oka says. "I enrolled in an honors English course with him four years ago that examined poetry and mythology and I've been writing poems ever since."

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