A University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� professor emeritus is reshaping how scholars understand comic writing.

James E. Caron has published a new book, , examining how humor and satire developed within a specific aesthetic, comic belles lettres.

Caron’s research challenges a familiar narrative: American humor before the Civil War is often tied to frontier life and regional voices. But his book points to a broader, shared tradition between British and American writers.

“I want other scholars of American humor/culture to discover that a significant portion of antebellum comic writing in the U.S. shares a literary heritage with British writers,” said Caron, who taught at UH ����ԴDz� for 36 years. “The book stresses that transatlantic feature rather than the usual emphasis on comic writing with frontier settings and vernacular speech.”

Drawing on works by Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as writers once popular but now largely forgotten, Caron traces a lineage of comic characters and styles that connect across two countries and multiple genres. The investigation looks beyond fiction, examining essays, reviews, and editorial writing to show how humor and satire operated in 18th- and 19th-century literary culture.

The project explores an important question: what kinds of comic writing were available in the United States before Mark Twain’s dominating influence on American satire?

“Turns out there is lots of popular comic writing before the Civil War that is very different from what Mark Twain has given us, a fact left out of standard literary histories,” Caron said.

His previous books include Satire as the Comic Public Sphere: Postmodern “Truthiness” and Civic Engagement (2021) and Mark Twain, Unsanctified Newspaper Reporter (2008), as well as his more recent study of 19th-century writer Fanny Fern.

His latest work can be found on the and on .

Fourteen University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa academic subjects were ranked among the world’s best in the 2026 , released on March 25.

Four subjects placed in the top 22 in the nation and top 100 in the world. Leading the way was geology (No. 19 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world), geophysics (No. 19 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world), Earth and marine sciences (No. 21 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world) and linguistics (No. 22 in the U.S. and No. 61 in the world).

Ten additional subjects placed in the world’s top 2% (within top 500 in the world out of ):

• English language and literature: No. 28 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 30 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Anthropology: No. 31 U.S., No. 101–200 world
• Modern languages: No. 41 U.S., No. 251–300 world
• Environmental sciences: No. 66 U.S., No. 351–400 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 68 U.S., No. 251–275 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 70 U.S., No. 401–450 world
• Education: No. 78 U.S., No. 351–400 world
• Medicine: No. 99 U.S., No. 451–500 world
• Biological sciences: No. 100 U.S., No. 451–500 world

“These rankings highlight the exceptional work and commitment of our faculty, students and staff,” UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “They showcase the university’s global standing and reinforce that UH Mānoa offers outstanding educational opportunities and experiences for both our local community and those joining us from around the world.”

UH Mānoa was ranked in three broad subject areas and 14 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (measures the reputation of institutions and their programs by asking academic experts to nominate universities based on their subject area of expertise), employer reputation (measures the reputation of institutions and their programs among employers), research citations per paper (measures the impact and quality of the scientific work done by institutions, on average per publication), H-index (measures both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar) and international research network (measure of an institution’s success in creating and sustaining research partnerships with institutions in other locations).

The 2026 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 18,300 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,700 universities in 100 locations around the world.

Other rankings

UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026
• 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, January 4, 2026

University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� alumnus Lee A. Tonouchi has been selected as the new Poet Laureate of �鶹��ý by the �鶹��ý State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, �鶹��ý Council for the Humanities, and �鶹��ý State Public Library System. Tonouchi will serve through February 2029.

Tonouchi is widely known as “Da Pidgin Guerrilla” for his passionate advocacy of Pidgin as a legitimate language for creative and academic expression. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English at UH ����ԴDz� and has taught classes at Kapiʻolani Community College.

“B-U. Das my vision. I stay looking forward to serving da community as �鶹��ý‘s Poet Laureate. For da past chree decades it’s been my mission to show Local people that dey should be proud of their Pidgin,” said Tonouchi.

The American Association for Applied Linguistics awarded Tonouchi the 2023 Distinguished Public Service Award for his work in raising public awareness of important language-related issues and promoting linguistic social justice.

“Through da technique of talk story, I believe everybody can find their poetic voice,” said Tonouchi, “I see my role as being able for empower people, for give ’em da tools dey need for be writers demselves so dey can represent their own communities and life experiences. Da goal is for have one greater diversity of voices as part of �鶹��ý’s Local literature. No sked for B-U.”

The �鶹��ý Poet Laureate program promotes appreciation of poetry and literary life in �鶹��ý while inspiring new writers from all walks of life. The selected poet receives an annual grant from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to carry out readings and workshops across the islands.

Visit the for more about upcoming �鶹��ý Poet Laureate programming and events.

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa selected “analogue” as its 2025 Word of the Year for �鶹��ý. Analogue refers to ways of thinking and creating that depend on human judgment, attention and physical engagement rather than automation. The department’s choice highlights the enduring value of human-centered thinking, creativity and interpretation in an age of artificial intelligence.

“Many of our students are contemplating careers in writing, teaching, the law and other fields involving communication, interpretation, critical thinking, and creativity, and they have concerns about the impact of GenAI on their future prospects,” said John David Zuern, UH Mānoa Department of English chair and professor. “They have welcomed opportunities to engage in what might be called ‘analogue intelligence,’ reading printed texts and annotating them by hand, drafting essays on paper, hand-crafting their own books, and taking part in oral presentations and performances in class.”

UH Mānoa Department of English faculty members, and students making up the leadership, came up with the word this year.

“Rather than a retreat into the past, we see this enthusiasm for the analogue as a ‘back to the future’ impulse, a commitment to the skills and values of a liberal education that will remain essential in a world transformed by AI technologies,” Zuern said.

Merriam-Webster announced its as “slop” on December 14. Slop is defined by Merriam-Webster as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence,” and Zuern said the department sees “analogue” as a counterpoint to “slop.”

The 2025 Hawaiian Word of the Year selected by the , is kāhuli—to change, to alter, to overturn. In the Kumulipo, kāhuli describes the transformation that warmed the earth and unfolded the heavens, catalyzing the formation of the universe itself. Read more at this UH News story.

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and Chess Club hosted a chess exhibition on December 11 in Keller Hall, bringing together students and faculty for an afternoon of competitive play and community engagement.

National Master Cornelius Rubsamen, a 13-time �鶹��ý state chess champion, played 20 UH Mānoa students and faculty members at the same time, rotating rapidly from board to board as about a dozen spectators watched. The exhibition, known as a “simul,” challenged participants across experience levels and tested Rubsamen’s stamina and intuition.

“If you play one person…you just sit there staring at the same position hour after hour, just thinking about one game,” Rubsamen said. “Whereas in a simul, you basically have a second to look at the board and as soon as the first move that pops in your head, you basically execute. …You just play by instinct, which is something chess players develop over time.”

Rubsamen said the UH Mānoa exhibition proved especially demanding as many participants remained competitive deep into the event.

“For the participants, it’s always easier if the other participants don’t fold or resign too early, and that was the case at this simul, so it was definitely challenging, and I was definitely tired afterwards,” he said.

The exhibition marked the first in a series of chess events on campus, with organizers—including Department of Mathematics Chair and Professor Malik Younsi, and Chess Club officers Noah Capili, Ryan-Jay Koshi, Bobby Lyon and Landon Nguyen—aiming to expand future programming to local high schools.

Lecturer and alumnus

Rubsamen’s appearance also highlighted his main role at UH Mānoa. In addition to his chess accomplishments, he is a lecturer in the , where he teaches composition and rhetoric. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from UH Mānoa and has taught English courses on campus since 2013.

Originally from Germany, Rubsamen said his chess development accelerated after he arrived in �鶹��ý in the 1990s, when international tournaments were held across the state. He credits those events, along with countless games played at Waikīkī Beach and the rise of computer-based programs, for his rapid improvement.

“I never really had a coach, but I was pretty competent using computers and software,” Rubsamen said. “I think I achieved a master level around the end of the 90s, early 2000s, and I’ve been involved in �鶹��ý chess ever since.”

This involvement has primarily consisted of coaching �鶹��ý’s scholastic players, including with Kamehameha Schools, where he worked with the middle school and high school teams beginning in the early 2000s and has directed the elementary chess club there since 2011.

The idea of a simul at UH Mānoa was born out of Rubsamen and Younsi’s chess friendship and the many games they played together before the pandemic.

“We wanted to create an event that brought people together around strategic thinking and friendly competition,” Younsi said. “Cornelius was the perfect person to headline it.”

The (CALL) at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� will host acclaimed author Rebecca Solnit for a free public lecture. This fall, Solnit will also serve as the Dai Ho Chun Distinguished Chair at UH ����ԴDz�.

Her talk, , is set for Thursday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. in Orvis Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so .

Solnit is known for weaving history, politics and art into stories that spark action. She has authored more than 25 books on topics ranging from feminism and climate change to walking and photography. Her works include Men Explain Things to Me and A Paradise Built in Hell.

“She’s a singular voice for hope, love, and action in an age too often overcome by despair, rage and cynicism,” said Peter Arnade, dean of CALL.

Insightful and inspiring

Solnit has received the National Book Critics Circle Award, a Guggenheim fellowship, and contributes regularly to �Ჹ������’s and The Guardian.

“Rebecca Solnit is one of the most insightful and inspiring public intellectuals of our time,” said John Zuern, chair of the English department. “Whether she’s writing about the history of photography, the solidarities that emerge out of catastrophes, the pleasures of long walks, or George Orwell’s gardening, I’m always happy to let Solnit explain things to me.”

Solnit’s public lecture event is supported by the Dai Ho Chun Endowment for Distinguished Lecturers and organized in coordination with the UH . Co-sponsors include the and the Creative Writing Program.

Donald Carreira Ching has spent more than a decade helping students at Leeward Community College find their voices. Now, the longtime creative writing professor is sharing his own, through a new short story collection that sheds light on the hidden struggles of life in �鶹��ý.

, released by Bamboo Ridge Press, features 17 intimate and emotionally layered stories. Ching explores family, cultural identity, environmental threats and the weight of intergenerational trauma. His characters live in a �鶹��ý far removed from tourist postcards—navigating grief, disconnection and erasure while holding tight to the connections that root them in resilience and community.

“Many of the stories are about characters struggling to find a sense of home and community, a sense of family and connection, and to do so while working through many of the challenges we all face living in �鶹��ý,” said Ching who grew up in Kahaluʻu. “I want readers to live with these characters, to experience the neighborhoods and side streets they may not be familiar with or may avoid.”

One story follows a man who breaks into his childhood home before it becomes a vacation rental. Another centers on a daughter coming to terms with her mother’s memory loss. All are rooted in places Ching knows well, places shaped by development, colonization and resilience.

Guiding new voices

Ching earned his PhD in English at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and said writing didn’t come easily at first, and it took time for him to realize that good writing is about practice, patience and persistence.

Those lessons shape the way he teaches at Leeward CC, where he encourages students to work through creative challenges and claim their voices on the page.

“In my classes, I try to help students to see the value in the writing and learning process, give them opportunities to work through the challenges and recognize their strengths, and perhaps most importantly, encourage them to develop their voice,” said Ching.

is available now through Bamboo Ridge Press.

Ching will hold a public reading of the book at ����ԴDz� Public Library on Saturday, August 16 at 10 a.m.

Jeffrey “Raven” Kromer, a senior at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo, is reaching for the stars—literally. The double major in and , has received a national travel grant from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to present his research at the in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy, this May.

Kromer will present a project titled under his pen name, Raven Daegmorgan. His work compares sand dunes on Mars with basaltic grains found on �鶹��ý Island—showing how volcanic landscapes on Earth can help scientists better understand other planets.

“Since both �鶹��ý and Mars are volcanic, this island’s geology makes a high-fidelity science analog with the Martian surface,” said Kromer. “Dunes have been detected on the rocky planets Venus and Mars and are thought to give insights on atmospheric conditions and climate history.”

Pushing boundaries

Kromer’s passion for planetary science is matched by his academic ambition. Earlier this year, he earned a �鶹��ý Space Grant Consortium to study dark matter in dwarf galaxies under the mentorship of Nicole Drakos, a UH Hilo assistant professor of physics and astronomy. He’s also preparing for a 10-week NASA internship working with teams at Johns Hopkins in Maryland and a research center in California.

“These opportunities really speak to my dream of one day being able to work for NASA on their amazing exploration projects, and thanks to my mentors and everyone here at UH Hilo, I’m getting to do that right now,” said Kromer.

Kromer is being mentored and supported by UH Hilo faculty John Hamilton (physics and astronomy) and, Steve Lundblad and Meghann Decker from the department.

Twenty two academic subjects at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� earned high marks in the 2025 , released on March 12.

Leading the way was linguistics, which earned a No. 11 ranking in the U.S. and No. 40 ranking in the world. Library and information management (No. 17 U.S., No. 51–100 world) and Earth and marine sciences (No. 20 U.S., No. 51–100 world) also placed within the top 100 in the world.

Eleven additional subjects placed in the world’s top 1% (within top 250 in the world out of ):

• Geophysics: No. 30 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Geology: No. 31 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Anthropology: No. 35 U.S., No. 101–170 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 34 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• English language and literature: No. 40 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Philosophy: No. 42 U.S., No. 201–225 world
• Geography: No. 34 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• History: No. 42 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Politics: No. 43 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 45 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 57 U.S., No. 201–250 world

“These rankings reflect the outstanding scholarship and dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “They reaffirm our university’s reputation for excellence and innovation, not just in �鶹��ý, but on a global scale. For the communities we serve and the students considering UH ����ԴDz�, these rankings are a powerful endorsement of the exceptional education and opportunities we provide.”

UH ����ԴDz� was ranked in four broad subject areas and 22 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (survey responses from academics), employer reputation (survey responses from graduate employers worldwide), research citations per paper (citations data sourced from Elsevier Scopus), H-index (measures most cited papers and the number of citations) and international research network (reflects ability to diversify the geography of their international research network).

The 2025 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 18,300 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,700 universities in 100 locations around the world.

Other rankings

UH ����ԴDz� also received these notable rankings:

• UH ����ԴDz� earns highest national research designation, February 20, 2025
• 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 23, 2025
• U.S. News and World Report 2025 Best Colleges rankings, September 24, 2024