Woman. Warrior. Writer. 01-06
Vol. 6 No. 1 1-06-25
Woman. Warrior. Writer. Brandy Nālani McDougall
How did you come to author your life?
I started compiling the poems that would eventually become ʻĀina Hānau in 2020, a year of tremendous upheaval, fear and vulnerability (to say the least). That upheaval bled into the next year in my life, when I found that I could no longer ignore the toxicity of my marriage and how much I had lost myself in it. By 2023, when ʻĀina Hānau was released, I had become a single mom caring for two young children mostly on my own, struggling to pay for rent, bills, and food, juggling work and parenting demands, and divorce negotiations were increasingly hostile. I felt so anxious, stressed, and alone, but also (and this is no small feat) proud of myself for having the courage to face it all, to honor my voice, and to stand up for myself. The book is about my journey through birth and motherhood, about raising young Pacific (Hawaiian and Chamoru) girls in American-occupied Hawai’i, but between the lines and stanzas, is also a healing journey of reconnecting with myself beyond motherhood and marriage. It’s about truly being at home (finally!) with myself and by myself while also being a mom.
Brandy Nālani McDougall is Hawaiʻi Poet Laureate, faculty at University of Hawai’i, and a literary activist. Her work includes the poetry collection ʻĀina Hānau/ Birth Land and Finding Meaning: Kaona and Contemporary Hawaiian Literature.
Listen to an interview with McDougall here.
Classes
BREAK: Write Your Divorce Story Workshop TUES Jan14 8-10AM (HST) is a confidential workshop for women at any stage of the divorce process. Learn Divorce Story Structure and write your divorce story for your personal/legal file to change the financial/emotional outcome of your divorce. Divorce is a feminist issue. $199
Intersectionality: Manuscript Workshop (10 weeks) THURS Feb 1-Apr 11 1-3PM (HST) an MFA level limited enrollment workshop for writers working on a specific manuscript project. One-on-one meetings. Accountability sessions. Writing submission/interview required. Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com Previously enrolled students $1080; new admits $1199.
BREAK: Write Your Divorce Story self-guided class available March 2025. Write your story at any stage of your divorce journey. Lock in the early bird rate at $99 ($129 value).
Thoughts
In Dec. 2024 I hit Oprah Daily! The Divorce Whisperer. This meant a lot to me because when I lived in Maui in the midst of going in and out of court, I would listen to Oprah’s podcast to make sense of the chaos in my life as my son groaned in the car and did Oprah imitations. Oprah–he was 12….
Divorce is a feminist issue. Women have a right to our narratives as patriarchal law has centered and prioritized men’s bodies and experiences. We have a right to be free. I released BREAK: How to Write Your Divorce Story a downloadable guide to help women write their divorce story for their personal/legal file.
Writing your divorce story can change the emotional and financial outcome of your divorce. Claim your story. Claim your life. Claim your freedom.
I also gave a long interview about writing and motherhood to Raising Mothers! Motherhood gave me bravery and perspective. I learned to prioritize my well-being because for the most part, what is good for the mother, is also good for the child.
Updates
Celestine Woo’s (WCWW; Intersectionality) poem Francophone Harlem appears in The Margins.
Words & Wisdom
“If I feel stuck with a story, I mix up the genre(s) I’m using. I learned this method from my generous writing teacher, Anna Joy Springer, who is also a gifted performer. Sometimes, the difficult emotion a paragraph is hiding can’t be uttered in the tighter conventions of literary realism. It might need to be jolted out by dance, theater, or a speculative character. I’m pushing this approach with my working travel memoir, where I’m mixing each chapter’s content with some “unconventional” genre to see what emerges. For example, “The Foyer or Exhibit for Travelers” plays with the museum catalog form to excavate human histories from objects. So genre-crossing can also have decolonial aims.”
Reema Rajbanshi (AWCWW) author of Sugar, Smoke, Song: A Novel has several pieces out this winter/spring 2025. Check out forthcoming issues of WWW for direct links!
ISLAND ALERT: Maui’s Modular Homes by Keeana Villamar
Since the August 2023 wildfires, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)enacted a housing assistance plan for fire victims in Lahaina. Over 150 modular unit homes have been transported above Lahaina Gateway, a plot of land that overlooks major burn sites.
One modular home resident says they feel content living in the home. Their unit came with a microwave, fridge, couch, AC, dressers, and a bed. Yet they criticized FEMA’s “48-hour” condition, which forces families to move into the home within 48 hours or risk losing their spot. Residents spoke on condition of anonymity: “Think about people who work two jobs and barely have enough time to themselves. How can I move my belongings in less than 48 hours after my life had just been upended?”
Other locals who survived the fires believe the decision to construct these homes overlooking major burn sites is disrespectful. “The view from the FEMA homes is burnt houses, cars, and the memory that a family member died right there. I wouldn’t live in one of those homes, it would be too much for me.”
Housing continues to remain a big problem in Hawai’i. Got a tip, opinion, insight for Island Alert? Contact: atkeenavillamar@gmail.com
The WWW Team Expands 2025
LA based designer Melina Castorillo is the visual lead on the WWW newsletter and my website. She is the designer of the original WWW logo. I highly recommend her work!
Keeana Villamar is a Filipino American writer born and raised on Maui and in spring 2025 will be a first-generation college graduate from Scripps College. “I work as a news writer on campus and an administrative coordinator for a non-profit summer enrichment program affiliated with Pitzer College. I am so excited and grateful to join the WWW team and learn alongside all the incredible women writers I work with!”
Former WWW, students, syllabus and guest authors are invited to contribute publication news, offerings, updates, and opinions to WWW to UPDATES and WORDS & WISDOM! Let’s write some new stories. Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com.
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Make 2025 be the year you bravely write your truth to power.
Aloha,
Stephanie