Hawaiian Gothic w/ Keala Kendall

Hawaiian Gothic w/ Keala Kendall

From Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore by Multitude

May 6, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 488

About this episode

Keala Kendall joins to discuss Hawaiian history, the impact of imperialism, and her book on Hawaiian Gothic.

We’re joined by the fabulous Keala Kendall to deep dive into the history of Hawaii, the ghosts of imperialism that haunt the island, and what Hawaiian Gothic looks like as we discuss her new book, That Which Feeds Us ! Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of family death, colonization, racism, enslavement, gentrification, stillbirth, grief, sexual assault, genitalia, and queerphobia.  Guest Keala Kendall is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic . Hapa Native Hawaiian, her work explores themes of culture and place, drawing inspiration from her upbringing in the islands with a Hawaiian folkloric twist. Deeply committed to giving back to her community, Keala is also a cofounder of Pacific Islanders in Publishing and a past organizer of the Books for Maui charity auction. Born in Honolulu, raised on Molokaʻi, she now lives as part of the Native Hawaiian diaspora in Los Angeles. Housekeeping - Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books - Call to Action: Send in those urban legend emails! - Submit Your Urban Legends Audio: Call us…

People in this episode

Guest: Keala Kendall

Topics covered

  • Hawaiian history
  • imperialism
  • Hawaiian Gothic
  • cultural themes
  • folklore
  • community engagement

Keywords

  • Hawaii
  • ghosts
  • colonization
  • racism
  • gentrification
  • queerphobia
  • Hawaiian folklore
  • grief

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pacific Islanders in Publishing

Books & works: That Which Feeds Us

Places: Hawaii, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Molokaʻi

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