Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard
Encyclopedia
Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard is a Samoan writer based at the University of Hawaii
as an assistant-professor of Pacific literature. She was born in Utulei village, Tutuila
, Samoa and now lives in the Manoa Valley in Honolulu. Her critically acclaimed poetry
and scholarship
have appeared in national and international journals and her book of poetry - Alchemies of Distance - was published in 2002. The text weaves between prose
and verse
and communicates a search for a Samoan identity and path of development within a modern colonized world. In his review of Alchemies of Distance, Craig Santos Perez asserts that this text "transforms the distances of time, culture, memory, and migration into a poetry of witness" New Zealand
-based Samoan writer and poet Albert Wendt
describes Sinavaiana-Gabbard's voice as "a new blend of Samoan, American, and widely ranging poetic and philisophical languages. A unique, vibrant, undeniable voice which shapes the now fearlessly with profound understanding and forgiveness".
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
as an assistant-professor of Pacific literature. She was born in Utulei village, Tutuila
Tutuila
Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
, Samoa and now lives in the Manoa Valley in Honolulu. Her critically acclaimed poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
have appeared in national and international journals and her book of poetry - Alchemies of Distance - was published in 2002. The text weaves between prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
and verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
and communicates a search for a Samoan identity and path of development within a modern colonized world. In his review of Alchemies of Distance, Craig Santos Perez asserts that this text "transforms the distances of time, culture, memory, and migration into a poetry of witness" New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-based Samoan writer and poet Albert Wendt
Albert Wendt
Albert Wendt, CNZM is a Samoan poet and writer who also lives in New Zealand. Among his works is Leaves of the Banyan Tree .-Biography:...
describes Sinavaiana-Gabbard's voice as "a new blend of Samoan, American, and widely ranging poetic and philisophical languages. A unique, vibrant, undeniable voice which shapes the now fearlessly with profound understanding and forgiveness".