PRESS KIT

LONG BIO

Kauakanilehua Māhoe Adams is the debut author of AN EXPANSE OF BLUE (Heartdrum, 2026), a YA novel in verse and a contributor to LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Heartdrum), which received the 2025 Michael L. Printz Award and American Indian Youth Literature Award. 

Her forthcoming poetry will appear in THE COUNTRY IN THE MIRROR: POEMS OF PROTEST & WITNESS, edited by Sharon Darrow (Rootstock, 2026) and in WITNESS: POEMS TO ADDRESS THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF POLICING, edited by Ari Tison and Ty Chapman, illustrated by Damon Davis (Zest, 2026). She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. 

Kaua is of Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, and European descent and is a first-generation Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) born and raised on the continent in Washington state. Today she lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband, where she spends her time writing, reading, dancing hula, and bending to her dogs’ every whim. Find her on Instagram and Threads @kauawrites for book news, musings, and a surplus of dog photos.

SHORT BIO

Kauakanilehua Māhoe Adams (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) is the debut YA author of AN EXPANSE OF BLUE (Heartdrum). Her writing appears in the Printz Award anthology LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN (Heartdrum) and other works. Kaua is from Washington state and lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband and two dogs. Follow her @kauawrites on Instagram and Threads.

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