Rita Ariyoshi

"The Mango Queen of Waikiki," the latest novel by Rita Ariyoshi, is a family saga set within the events of World War II in Hawaii. This new novel follows Ariyoshi's acclaimed debut novel "Lion's Way," which was a finalist for a James Jones Literary Fellowship and earned Ariyoshi the Elliot Cades award for Literature from the Hawaii Literary Arts Counsil. Other titles by this award-winning writer include "National Geographic Traveler Guide to Hawaii" and "Hula is Life," which is out of print with remaining copies selling at collector prices, when they can be found. It is a hula classic. Her book, "Maui on My Mind," won first place in the national Lowell Thomas Travel Journals Awards for best book. Rita's short stories have appeared in a wide variety of magazines and literary journals and won several awards including a Pushcart Prize and grand prize in the National Steinbeck Center short story competition. She is the founding editor of Aloha, the Magazine of Hawaii and the Pacific and served as editor-in-chief for ten years. Her career as a freelance journalist has taken her around the globe on assignments covering everything from remote travel destinations in Asia to the war in Croatia. She lives on a sleepy lagoon in Honolulu.