"The experience of reading this collection is nothing short of swimming in fire.... Night Is a Sharkskin Drum is a testament to Trask's poetic mana. With these poems, she shows us once more that despite the ugliness she has seen, the ugliness that has pierced her, stabbed her, wounded her, scarred her and her people, there is beauty still." --Sia Figiel

"An important addition to the growing body of work coming out of Oceania by Polynesian writers.... The poetry is beautiful and brutal, subtle and direct, courageous and respectful--but most of all, it is honest. The poet's deep and profound love for her country and people is central to the work." --Reina Whaitiri

"A perceptive and astutely profound commentary on Trask's life and the life of her country, ... [the poems] are rich with irony and a passionate love of language." --Albert Wendt

"Mixing rich, natural imagery with Hawaiian-language words and phrases, [this] work conveys the inseparable bond between Hawaiians and their lands." --AsianWeek, 22 August 2002

Night Is a Sharkskin Drum is a lyrical evocation of Hawai`i by a Native poet whose ancestral land has been scarred by tourism, the American military, and urbanization. Grounded in the ancient grandeur and beauty of Hawai`i, this collection is a haunted and haunting love song for a beloved homeland under assault.

Haunani-Kay Trask is one of Hawai`i's most recognized Native authors. She is the author of a best-selling collection of essays, From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai`i, and a volume of poetry, Light in the Crevice Never Seen.

Read chapter 1 (PDF).

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