Tom Peek

An award-winning novelist and acclaimed writing teacher, Tom Peek lived his early life on Minnesota’s Upper Mississippi River. After hitchhiking by boat through the South Seas, he settled on Hawaiʻi Island three decades ago. There he’s been, among other things, an astronomy and mountain guide on Mauna Kea, an eruption ranger and exhibit writer on Kilauea, and an insider participant in the efforts to protect both sacred volcanoes.

Winner of the 2024 Nautilus Gold Award for Small Press Fiction

Finalist for the 2024 Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize

Winner of a 2013 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Popular Fiction

"Tom Peek’s understanding of place, culture, and current issues is deep and respectful without being heavy-handed.” — Maile Meyer, founder of Honolulu’s Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘i

“Peek is a storyteller extraordinaire, cut from an older cloth seldom seen today.” — The Contemporary Pacific Journal

"Peek is an author who takes the time to listen and observe, honestly portraying islanders of all hues and voices.” — Nelson Ho, Sierra Club leader and longtime Mauna Kea activist