A Local Hawaiʻi Poetry Archive
Puka kinikini, puka kinikini, ʻaʻohe nā puka e puka aku ai.
Many, many openings, many, many openings, but none to go out through.
This name (riddle) was used to challenge children and adults alike. Do you know what the riddle is describing?
Puka, a word in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi that often translates as “hole,” has several related meanings, including opening, door, portal; but “puke” can also mean to emerge and to rise like the sun. “Luka mai ka lā” refers to the rising of the sun at dawn to start a new day. “Kinikini” is a word that describes something plentiful and great in number. Taken together, Puka Kinikini, the name for this site, can be translated as “Many, many openings and risings,” a name to celebrate the rich and vibrant culture of poetry within Hawaiʻi that has existed for many, many generations.
Puka Kinikini is an online local poetry archive and resource site promoting and featuring poems in the multiple languages of Hawaiʻi, video performances by local poets, poems from community workshops, a calendar of literary events, links to local poetry presses and local bookstores, local poet websites, curriculum and lesson plans to teach the reading and writing of local poetry, and poetry prompts and writing challenges.
Discover
Explore our vast archive of Hawaiʻi poets by featured themes
Aloha ʻĀina
Meet cultural, political, and mana-ful poets writing through a Kanaka ʻŌiwi lens of kinship and activism.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
Immerse in the rich layers of meaning through the official language of Hawaiʻi. From code-switching to publications written fully in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, lend an ear to the vibrant voices of Hawaiʻi.
Pasifika
Observe how Pasifika writers bring together themes and languages from across Moananuiakea
Queer
Seek out the stories that represent meaningful navigations of identity, relationships, sexuality, and gender.
Featured Poet
What Educators are Saying
Write feedback to pukakinikini@gmail.com
Pukakinikini is a major literary resource for Hawaiʻi . . .
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As an English teacher at . . . I use the poet archive to keep up with the growing poetry scene . . .
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Pukakinikini enables me to introduce my students to local Hawaiian poetry . . . it makes discovering new poetry and poets easy . . .
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