Lee A. Tonouchi

Occupation: Pidgin writer
College: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
What school you grad? ‘Aiea High School ‘90
Location: ‘Aiea, HI

Like many children raised in Hawai‘i, Lee Tonouchi grew up speaking Pidgin. His teachers often told him, “Lee, you write the way you talk.” He initially took this as a compliment, but later realized they meant it as a criticism. That experience helped shape his lifelong mission: to advocate for Pidgin and demonstrate its value in literature and the arts. 

In 1999, Tonouchi, whose nickname is “Da Pidgin Guerilla,” founded the literary magazine Hybolics, creating a platform for stories that celebrate Pidgin and local culture. He has taught at Kapi‘olani Community College and Hawai‘i Pacific University, where he developed and taught the first college-level course dedicated entirely to Pidgin literature. In 2023, the American Association for Applied Linguistics honored him with the Distinguished Public Service Award for his efforts to raise awareness about language issues and promote linguistic social justice. 

His published works include: “Da Kine Dictionary,” “Da Word,” “Living Pidgin: Contemplations on Pidgin Culture,” and “Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son,” which won the Association for Asian American Studies Book Award. Tonouchi has also written several Pidgin plays staged by Kumu Kahua Theatre, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, and the Hawai‘i Conservatory of Performing Arts. His play “Three Year Swim Club” was performed at East West Players in Los Angeles and earned a Los Angeles Times Critic’s Choice Selection.
He attended Ali‘iolani Elementary, Waimalu Elementary, ‘Aiea Intermediate and ‘Aiea High School. In February, the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts announced Tonouchi as the 2026-29 Hawai‘i Poet Laureate, the third laureate in the history of the program and first to come from a public school.

Q: What was your journey like after high school?
A: When I wuz at da University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, das wea I wen first discover local literature. I wuz all like, “Ho, get guys writing in Pidgin and we studying ’em in college. Das means you gotta be smart brah, for study Pidgin!” So das wea my journey began. Now I do all kine Pidgin writing. I do all my creative work in Pidgin—I write Pidgin prose, poetry and plays. I also do academic essays and journalism kine writing in Pidgin too. Currently, I do one monthly column called “Much Mahalos” for Discover Nikkei, das da online publication of da Japanese American National Museum.

Q: What are you up to these days?
A: I wuz jus name da Hawai‘i State Poet Laureate so I going be doing poetry workshops across da state for try encourage people who nevah dreamed dey could write for try write some poetries. Dis fall, my play “Our Okinawan Ohana: Stories We Share from Hawai‘i’s Uchinaanchu Community” going be coming out from Playbuilders. An’den next year, 2027, my children’s picture book going be one play too. I stay doing “Okinawan Princess: Da Musical with Ohana Arts”!

Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: Historically Pidgin talkers wuz always perceive as being less intelligent than da English talker. So da way I saw ’em wuz I could either change myself or I could try change da perception. I wen decide for dedicate my life to trying for change people’s perceptions about Pidgin. Da funnest part about da job is when I get for learn new Pidgin words.

Q: What makes you #PublicSchoolProud?
A: I proud I went public school and I feel even prouder when I see our government leaders sending their kids go public school too. Das commitment to eju-ma-cation.

Q: Favorite subject in school?
A: Japanese class could be fun even though da teacher wuz supa serious. Mr. Iwamoto wen surprise me one time—he wen put one Kikaida question on top his final exam!

Q: What was your favorite school lunch or breakfast?
A: Da pastrami sandwich of course. Wuz mo’ bettah than Subway!

Q: What type of extracurricular activities were you involved in?

A: I remembah I wen join Math Club cuz my bestest friends James Lum and Dae Hwan Kim made me join. Dey loved being “mathletes” so I wanted for see what da hype wuz all about. I wen learn that for me personally words wuz waaaaaay mo’ exciting than numbers.

Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you’d like to thank?
A: I like tank Ms. Betty Hart, my Physics teacher at ‘Aiea. She taught science but she wuz da only teacher who wen encourage my creativity.

Q: What advice do you have for students?
A: Not always easy for do da right ting. Just no sked ’em, go get ’em.