Why We Headed North

Courtesy: Brown W. Cannon III

This month’s cover image and accompanying photo spread weren’t originally part of the editorial lineup. It was a late decision for inclusion after some unexpected, yet serendipitous, events. A friend of mine had introduced me via email to Brown W. Cannon III, a photographer who was having a launch event for his book, North. I had to politely decline since it was on the same evening as a HONOLULU gathering. Yet my friend told me he was inviting me because I had previously had a conversation with him about whether Hawai‘i was losing its soul. “Brown is an amazing photojournalist who has captured a very real and vital part of Hawai‘i’s soul,” my friend wrote to me.

I clicked on the link he sent about North, a collection of photos centered on O‘ahu’s North Shore, and was stunned. I had never seen a collection of more compelling, striking and, yes, soulful portraits of Hawai‘i … ever.

I immediately reached out to Cannon with a request to Zoom, which we did the following day. Our talk, in which he explained why he created the book, how he did it, and the overwhelming feedback he’s received, solidified what came next. These photos had to be in the February issue.

I discussed it with Katrina Valcourt, our executive editor, and creative director James Nakamura, and we all agreed to not just include the photos in the magazine but to feature North on our cover. We rearranged our editorial lineup, and now in this issue, you can see for yourself why we were so compelled to do this.

It’s a very special Hawai‘i book that anyone from the Islands will understand at a visceral level. The North Shore has a unique spirit that draws people from across the world who love the ocean and its bold, unpredictable waves. North includes extraordinary portraits of legendary surfers, as well as others in the community. But it’s more than just beautiful photography. As you flip through its more than 200 pages, you feel the essence of the people, their grit, history, connection to each other and the island.

These photos had to be in the February issue.

Here are some of Cannon’s closing words in the book: “Initially, I intended to shoot only big-wave surfers, but I soon came to see that the North Shore attracts fascinating people of all sorts, and that just a small percentage of them have the skill and desire to hunt down fifty-foot waves. … Surfboard makers, photographers, bodysurfers, freedivers, lifeguards, bodyboarders—they’re all magnetically drawn to this magical coast, and they’re all connected by water.

“North is dedicated to ‘ohana, and to friendships born in the waves. John Galera, Dean Kagawa, and Miles Harada taught me how that Hawaiian word, meaning ‘family,’ extends beyond blood relations. Therein lies the beauty of ‘ohana. It is not limited; it is meant to grow.”

Introducing Currents

You may have noticed we changed the name of our front-of-the-book section from “Calabash” to “Currents.” It came after brainstorming among both our editorial team and our larger HONOLULU staff, and no one was compelled to retain the original section name.

Decades ago, the word “calabash” was more commonly used to describe an assortment of things. But like many words, it’s become outdated. We wanted something fresher that offers a nod to our island roots and metaphorically reveals the section’s intention—to be a curated collection about life on O‘ahu. We liked “Currents” because of its ocean ties, but also because it suggests current news and the idea of staying current.

We also changed the look of that section and the Style and ‘Ono sections too. While in the past we had more consistent layouts for these sections, we wanted more flexibility to write about a variety of topics at whatever length and to tell some stories more visually through photos and graphics. Our motto going into 2024 is to be visual and current. We hope you find this issue to be both.