Hohonu

Hohonu, A look into UH Hilo’s academic journal

Staff Writer Clara Scheidle Photos courtesy of Tynsl Kailimai

“Being published in Hohonu is awesome. I’m part of a long line of academic writers who learned a great deal from the courses offered of have been offered at UH Hilo… I’m honored to have been a part of something so special.” -Uilani Leslie

“Take the opportunity to… share your knowledge with other students and the community” -Tynsl Kailimai

When you pick up Hohonu, there’s a certain weight to it. This is meant both literally and figuratively-- the academic journal itself is composed of a semester's worth of non fiction writings submitted by UH Hilo’s own students, and the word Hohonu means “deep, profound,” in Hawaiian.

“Those words speak volumes to how it relates to the contents of the journal,” says Tynsl Kailimai, the current Editor-in-Chief for Hohonu. Each paper published in an issue of Hohonu were selected because off the “deep and profound knowledge that they expressed in their work.” Since every work published in Hohonu is non fiction, there is a lot of research that goes into the papers. Kailimai notes that this “showcases how so many students have expanded and deepened their knowledge.”

Hohonu has been a part of UH Hilo’s Board of Student Publications since Fall 2003. Initially, the journal reached only students and faculty, as well as the community. As internet become a more popular medium for information, Hohonu can now reach a worldwide audience by publishing the journal online. Anyone who visits their website is greeted by the Hohonu mission statement and the option to look over previous volumes of the academic journal. These volumes, sporting colorful and decidedly Hawaiian-themed covers span all the way back to Volume 1 from 2003 to Volume 14, published in 2016. When asked about the more recent volumes, Kailimai admits that updating the Hohonu website is one of the things on her to-do list. She expects to have it updated “before the semester is out.”

Although they aren’t online, anyone looking to pick up the more recent volumes of Hohonu are welcome to stop by the Hohonu office in Campus Center 215. You might also find a copy scattered all over the second and third floor of the Campus Center building.

It might do one well to pick up one of these copies to peruse the previous works if you’re considering submitting your own academic writing and want to get a feel for the variety of content the journal contains. Submissions via the online google form on the Hohonu website will be opened up soon, according to Kailimai. An announcement will be posted to their Instagram, @hohonu_uhh, and Hohonu staff will also be making class visitations sometime in October.

Hohonu’s previous General Editor and alumni of UH Hilo, Uilani Leslie, shares what it’s like to be published in an academic journal.

“Being published in Hohonu is awesome. I’m part of a long line of academic writers who learned a great deal from the courses offered, or have been offered at UH Hilo… I’m honored to have been a part of something so special.”

Leslie’s paper, titled, “The Mana Wahine of Hawaiʻi,” was a list she composed of women from Hawaiʻi’s mythology and past. She calls this piece a “double-whammy,” because she was able to talk about both the Hawaiian perspective and female empowerment “in a world that is predominantly male-driven, more-so in one that is greatly influenced by American culture.”

She understands that it may sound scary to submit to Hohonu under the connotative pressures of the word academic. Leslie explains that she think that people may be self-conscious of their papers, and to them she asks, “how would you know if you don’t take that leap of faith and just submit? There’s no harm at all in trying.”

If that’s not encouragement enough, Kailimai and Leslie both mention that getting your work submitted in an academic journal is an eye-catching statement that can be impressive when written on a resume or curriculum vitae.

Leslie sympathizes in that not every paper that is submitted will be ready to publish, but reveals that Hohonu’s editors are there to help. “[They’re] going to work with you every step of the way to get it to its absolute best.”

She finishes this statement with an enthusiastic, “Take the chance!”

In her own experience, Kailimai has had her work published in other academic journals, and states that it is “one of the greatest feelings in the world.”

“Take the opportunity to… share your knowledge with other students and the community,” Kailimai adds. “You will not regret it!”