The next Mostly Monthly Reading Series event is a book launch featuring Dr. D. Nandi Odhiambo and his newest novel, “Amapiano Eyes” — from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library, second-floor exhibition space.
The novel by Odhiambo, Professor of English at UH West O‘ahu, was released on March 24 by publisher Book*hug Press. It is Odhiambo’s fifth novel and is a Winter 2026 selection for The Booksellers’ List, a list that celebrates the most anticipated books of each season and is a project of the Canadian Independent Bookstores Association.
Odhiambo will be accompanied during the reading by KTUH FM’s DJ dr.dread, a host of “dillaheads” every Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., in an NPR Tiny Desk-style performance. There will also be snacks and prize drawings at the event.
According to a description by the novel’s publisher, “Accompanied by the deep beats of Amapiano music, D. Nandi Odhiambo’s gritty, high-stakes new novel ‘Amapiano Eyes’ is a masterful blend of literary fiction and noir — an existential thriller where the past and present collide.”
In a review, Shawna Yang Ryan, author of “Green Island,” described Odhiambo’s novel as an “exhilarating convergence of philosophy and noir: shot through with humour, illuminated by shimmering prose, and deepened by a profound meditation on choice versus fate — on being. Unfolding across time and space — from Hawai‘i to Winnipeg to Nairobi — ‘Amapiano Eyes’ is a searing, unforgettable book.”
The Mostly Monthly Reading Series is presented in collaboration between faculty host Andy Godefroy, an English lecturer at UH West O‘ahu who started the reading series in 2013, and the James & Abigail Campbell Library.
The Mostly Monthly Reading Series event is open to UH West O‘ahu students, faculty, and staff, and the general public. Anyone who has questions or would like more info may email godefroy@hawaii.edu.
