Meet January’s Woman. Warrior. Writer. Christy Passion!

How did you come to author your life?

Initially, writing was a voice that bore witness. Renderings of being Native Hawaiian mix raised in a blue-collar family spoke against idyllic island life. I wanted people to see beyond tourism’s depiction of Hawai’i; to see us. I’ve been told my poetry is political. I’ve learned that any woman speaking her truth will always be political. My life moves between calamity (being a critical care nurse) and come backs (plain old life). Writing poetry serves as a diffuser, allowing me to sift through intensity and reshape it. I am currently attempting my hand at fiction which does not come as natural to me as poetry does. But most of life, in my experience, starts in difficulty. Then it gets good.

Christy Passion has authored three books of poetry. Her book of poems, Still Out of Place, has won commendation from the Hawai’i Book Publishers Association. All of her books have been published by Bamboo Ridge Press. She has won the Cades Award for Literature and is a contributing author to When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry. She is a critical care nurse at a level 1 trauma center in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Follow her on IG @christy.passion