The University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu recently launched the inaugural issue of Da Pueo Press, an undergraduate journal featuring UH West O‘ahu student writers and artists, showcasing their diverse and creative works.
Da Pueo Press (DPP) is by and for UH West O‘ahu students, with the mentorship of Humanities faculty and the support of the Institute for Research and Engaged Scholarship and UH West O‘ahu administration.
“It is so important to have a journal established on our campus,” said DPP faculty mentor Dr. Yasmine Romero, who is also an associate professor of English and the chair of the Humanities Division at UH West O‘ahu. “We are an Indigenous-serving university, which means we should strive to create spaces for our students to build their archives and create connections to their communities.”
Published on Dec. 5, Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): Da Pueo Press, “Aloha ‘Āina” centers on the theme of “love for the land” and includes the work of 11 writers and three artists. The issue includes a Letter from the Editor by Tanya Hōkūlani Racoma, the fall 2025 DPP editor-in-chief.
Racoma said the inaugural issue introduces DPP through a shared belief that storytelling and art create relationships to place, people, and responsibility.
“The issue moves from works grounded in Hawai‘i’s memory and everyday life, to creative retellings of familiar stories through local and Indigenous lenses, and then to ethical and critical essays engaging film, media, and social justice,” Racoma said. “It concludes with reflections on writing, identity, and ancestral knowledge. Together with cover art honoring land as family, the issue embodies Aloha ‘Āina as love, connection, and care for ‘āina and community.”
Racoma added that Da Pueo Press is, at its core, a relational and collective effort.
“Representation has always mattered to me, and through this journal I have seen how meaningful it is to create a space where diverse voices are not only present, but genuinely valued,” Racoma said. … “Looking ahead, I believe Da Pueo Press has the potential to grow into a space where Indigenous students feel empowered to publish in their native languages, where ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i and other languages are affirmed and celebrated. Honoring language, after all, is a way of honoring the people and futures they carry.”
The DPP project began in 2022, its founders a joint team including students from Humanities, Education, and Creative Media, as well as faculty and staff from the Humanities Division, James & Abigail Library, and No‘eau Center.
“Each year, a new pool of student editors strengthened the project — from creating the call in 2023 to developing the processes for editing, proofreading, and publishing in 2024,” Romero said. “Student editors knew that to get their peers involved, we needed to embrace all forms of creativity and all home languages, and so student editors proposed a cover art contest last spring and encouraged their peers to submit in their home languages.”
Romero also acknowledged Dr. Michael Pak, another DPP faculty editor/mentor and an assistant professor of English, for his contributions to the project and inaugural issue.
“We had a clear idea as to what we wanted to cultivate, a space for our students to be featured in the ways that they wanted to, and we created a space/platform to accomplish this goal,” Romero said. “Given the current socio-political landscape, carving out spaces for our students to be heard is more important than ever: we need to uplift, not silence.”
Both Racoma and Romero hope readers enjoy and find meaning in the first issue of Da Pueo Press.
“I hope readers come away with a renewed sense of connection to ‘āina, to story, and to one another,” Racoma said.
Romero added, “I hope they take away that they, too, have a voice, experience, knowledge, and expertise to share. I hope readers are inspired by the words of their peers and students and that that translates into action.”
DPP editors aim to to publish an issue every other year, with the next one planned for fall 2027. DPP accepts submissions on a rolling basis (the next formal call for submissions will be shared in spring 2026), so writers interested can submit here. If they have questions or concerns, they can email dppsubs@hawaii.edu.
Romero also noted that DPP offers students a chance to gain important writing, editing, and design skills for their future careers. Students can support the project in multiple ways, from submitting to participating as a student editor. If they are interested in serving as a student editor, they can email yromer@hawaii.edu or pakm@hawaii.edu.
