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Kealani Netane

@kealaninetane

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•Tala Learns to Siva (Scholastic, 2024)
•Picking Limu with Tūtū (Viking PRH, 2027)
•Kanaka ‘Ōiwi/Samoan
•@pacificislanderbooks cofounder
📍O’ahu, HI

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UPDATE: Coming Summer 2028!

Happy Earth Day! I’m excited to share the announcement of my upcoming picture book PICKING LIMU WITH TŪTŪ, illustrated by @sgonzalesart and published by Viking, an imprint of @penguinkids, in Summer 2027.

Inspired by my grandma’s experiences of picking limu with her tūtū, this book applies the concepts of kilo (observation) and pilina (relationship), occurring in modern times with flashbacks to when limu was plentiful.

Thank you to my wonderful agent @ellenpauleygoff @hgliterary and my amazing editor, Maggie. Shout out to my PB writing group. Their feedback was essential to my manuscript. Special thanks to my family members for sharing their limu stories with me. I loved learning all I could about limu.

#picturebook #PWannouncement #hawaii #limu #hawaiianbooks #kidlit by @kealaninetane

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a year ago

Happy book birthday to my little Tala! It’s been almost four years since I first started writing this story and I can’t believe the time has finally come!

It has been a community effort to get this book published and I’m so grateful for so many people. The first reader of all my stories is my husband and the second is my sister so I am grateful for their continued championing of my stories. I am also so grateful for all the friends I’ve made who have given me advice and have become my publishing support group, @kkealakai, @heinrich.manuia, and @maliamaunakea.

Shout out to my amazing agent, @ellenpauleygoff @hgliterary. Her feedback is always spot on and she’s so supportive of every one of my ideas.

I will forever love @dunghanhho’s vision for my story. Her illustrations have brought my words to life and they bring my family and I so much joy.

I have loved my time with Scholastic. @cwong333 is a phenomenal editor and she goes above and beyond for her authors. Doan Buu did such a great job as the book designer! He is a visionary.

I’m so grateful to my amazing writing group @khushboo_.patel._, @greenlandraised, @jasmineifang, MeiLin, and Madhu. I’ve also loved the time I spent with my debut picture book group @pb_soar24. Everyone is so generous with their knowledge.

I hope people enjoy connecting with Tala and seeing her journey as she learns to dance the taualuga!

#pacificislanderbooks #pasifikareadathonchallenge #talalearnstosiva by @kealaninetane

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2 years ago

After a short summer break, @kealaninetane is back with this month’s PEAK Reads! “Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i” by Sara Kehaulani Goo proves to be a treasure trove of Hawaiian history! @saragoo.author talks about how kuleana has more than just one meaning, and it’s a perfect and meaningful way to close out Hawaiian History Month.
#peakreads #kuleana #saragoo #hawaiianhistorymonth by @kealaninetane

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12 days ago

If you missed PEAK’s in-person event with @saragoo.author at Vroman’s, then you have another chance to hear Sara talk about out her incredibly moving book, “Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i” with @kealaninetane for our September PEAK Reads! This is a fitting book and conversation to close out Hawaiian Heritage Month, so join us on Instagram Live on September 24 @ 9am HT!

#peakreads #kuleana #saragoo #hawaiianheritagemonth by @kealaninetane

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15 days ago

In 2026, there are more books coming out from Hawaiian authors than EVER before! This is a huge milestone, and I believe that it is just the beginning. It was an absolute honor to sit on this panel with @megankkakimoto and @kealaninetane to talk about how the future is fiction with @hawaiiancouncil !

We got some requests to share the resources mentioned during the panel, and we are currently working on putting that together! That said, we want to be sure to include folks who did not have the opportunity to attend, too.

If you’d like to get the resource packet, please scan the QR code at the end of these slides to send us your email! We’ll send you the packet, Q&A, and a link to all resources we mentioned for both readers and writers!

And if you have any questions about writing, publishing, or anything else related to Hawaiian storytelling — go ahead and leave a comment! We’ll be sure to include it!
(Resource site is now live! Link in bio!) by @kealaninetane

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2 months ago

From oral tradition to the page, our stories carry us forward.

Join published Hawaiian authors Shay Kauwe, Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, and Kealani Netane for Native Hawaiian Storytelling: Past and Present, a breakout session today at the 2026 Native Hawaiian Convention. Native Hawaiian storytelling carries generations of ʻike, shaping identity, resistance, and imagination across time. This panel explores the evolution of moʻolelo, from oral tradition to contemporary literature.

📍 ʻUlaʻula, Neal S. Blaisdell Center
🗓️ Day 1 | Today, 1:00–2:45 PM hawaiiancouncil.org/agenda-booklet or link in bio for the full agenda.

#2026NativeHawaiianConvention #HawaiianCouncil #Author #Hawaiian by @kealaninetane

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3 months ago

Do you know the answer? 🤔

Tomorrow, @megankkakimoto @kealaninetane and I will be answering these questions and more in our discussion on Hawaiian storytelling: past, present, and future at the #hawaiianconvention @hawaiiancouncil !!!

This is your chance to learn more about storytelling in the modern world, the publishing process, and what to do with that great story you’ve got inside your head!

Looking forward to meeting folks there to talk Pasifika storytelling and where this waʻa is headed next! 🚣

Leave your guesses on the True/False below!

#indigenousauthors #pasifikabooks #pasifikaauthors #hawaiian by @kealaninetane

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3 months ago

Absolutely honored to be a part of this panel on Native Hawaiian storytelling for the Hawaiian Council’s 25th annual Native Hawaiian Convention!

I’ll be sitting by some absolute hammahs! The USA Today Bestselling author @megankkakimoto of Every Drop a Man’s Nightmare and one of the founders of @pacificislanderbooks , the incredible children’s author @kealaninetane of Tala Learns to Siva.

Megan, Kealani and I are so stoked to have this chance to talk about Hawaiian storytelling: past, present, and future!

We hope to see you all there!!

#hawaiianconvention2026 #authorevent #hawaiianculture #authorsofinstagram by @kealaninetane

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3 months ago

Mahalo @kealakendall for sharing “That Which Feeds Us,” and the huge successes it’s already achieved! A @sunnie Reads Pick? A @target Exclusive? We love to see some #pasifikaexcellence in the book world!
#thatwhichfeedus #sunniereads #ya #peakreads by @kealaninetane

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5 months ago

We’re bursting with excitement to share @kealakendall’s THAT WHICH FEEDS US, a Hawaiian gothic YA horror that will definitely haunt you. Keala is also the bestselling author of “How Far I’ll Go” and co-founder of @pacificislanderbooks; and now she can add @sunnie and @target exclusive lists to her many accomplishments! Join her and @kealaninetane for their Insta Live Q&A on May 13 at 4pm HT/7pm PT!

#peakreads #thatwhichfeedsus #gothichorror #ya #penguinrandomhouse by @kealaninetane

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5 months ago

PEAK Reads is going BIG for AAPI Heritage Month! There are 3 amazing books coming out in May, and we didn’t want you to miss a single one! We’ll be posting individual features for each book before their PEAK Reads Q&A, so you’ll know where to borrow or buy these great reads.

May 13 - “That Which Feed Us” by Keala Kendall, in conversation with Kealani Netane.
May 18 - “The Shark Prince” by Malia Maunakea, in conversation with Kainoa Rudolfo.
May 27 - “An Expanse of Blue” by Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams, in conversation with Annette Arinix.

#peakreads #pasifikaexcellence #thatwhichfeedsus #thesharkprince #anexpanseofblue by @kealaninetane

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5 months ago

Wow - April went by fast and now @kealaninetane’s interview with @shaykauwe, the author of “The Killing Spell” is up for this month’s PEAK Reads! We’re so thrilled to be able to spread the word about this incredible urban fantasy that celebrates the power of ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i by turning the language into powerful magic. If you’ve had your fantasy fill of tiny, white damsels in distress, then may we suggest the Mana Wahine of “The Killing Spell?”
#peakreads #thekillingspell #shaykauwe #olelohawaii #simonandschuster by @kealaninetane

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5 months ago