Internationally acclaimed poet and Marshall Islands climate envoy Kathy Jet?il-Kijiner, who is serving as the Spring 2026 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, will deliver a keynote lecture and poetry performance on April 1 at Orvis Auditorium. The free, public event invites the campus and broader community to hear directly from one of the Pacific¡¯s leading voices on climate and justice.
As this year¡¯s Inouye Chair, Jet?il-Kijiner is engaging the community on urgent issues shaping democratic life. Her lecture explores how the climate crisis in the Marshall Islands is inseparable from histories of colonialism, nuclear testing and displacement, offering a powerful, Pacific-centered perspective that connects lived experience to global climate conversations.
“As a writer, performer and diplomat, she moves across disciplines while creating art that brings people together,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the . “She offers a vital Pacific voice against the violence of the past and present. She reminds us what poetry can do, and why the humanities matter in a dehumanizing age.”
Jet?il-Kijiner currently serves as a climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, where she works on international climate diplomacy and national adaptation policy.
“Kathy Jet?il-Kijiner is a force in culture and climate diplomacy,” said Joyce Mariano, chair of the . “She has ignited audiences with poetry and performance from Majuro to Suva, Brisbane to Bonn. Her work will resonate deeply in Â鶹´«Ã½, and we are thrilled to have her in residence.”
Jet?il-Kijiner is co-teaching a class at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ and holding regular workshops with students. She will also headline a community arts event at Native Books Â鶹´«Ã½ on April 17 at 6 p.m.
Inouye chair
The Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals, established by the late Senator Daniel Inouye and his wife, is jointly administered by UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯s and the .
This event is produced in collaboration with Â鶹´«Ã½ Contemporary and in partnership with the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, a joint venture of UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, Â鶹´«Ã½ Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools and UH Foundation. For more information or contact btss@hawaii.edu.