Friday, February 6, 2026

Hawai’i-to-California Saga Brings Author Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes to Vroman’s Tonight

Her second novel traces generations of Hawaiian women and a sacred stone across two centuries of true history

Author Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes will discuss and sign her new novel, “The Pohaku,” at Vroman’s Bookstore on Friday evening, bringing to Pasadena a multigenerational story rooted in a little-known chapter of Hawaiian history in California.

The novel, published February 3 by HarperVia, follows generations of Hawaiian women tasked with protecting a sacred stone — the pohaku — as it travels from the islands to the California mainland across nearly 300 years. Hakes, who was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i, and now lives in California, spent close to two decades researching the intertwined histories of the two places before completing the book.

Hakes will appear in conversation with Diane Marie Brown, author of “Black Candle Women,” a Read with Jenna Book Club pick. Brown, who provided an advance endorsement for “The Pohaku,” wrote in her blurb that Hakes “solidifies herself as a skillful raconteur of epic sagas, legends, and haunting truths,” according to the book’s publisher listing.

The event begins at 7 p.m. at Vroman’s, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. The hardcover is priced at $30. For information, call (626) 449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com.

The story behind the novel stretches back to a trip Hakes made to Sutter’s Fort after moving from Hawai’i to California. There she encountered journal entries describing a group of Hawaiians who played a key role in the development of Northern California before the Gold Rush. When she asked a guide for more information, she said in a recent interview with Writer’s Digest, “he shrugged and said as far as Sutter’s Fort went, those journal entries were the only evidence the group even existed.”

That gap in the historical record became the seed for a project that consumed nearly 20 years. “I spent more than 15 years researching and cutting my teeth on an ambitious version of this that will never see the light of day,” Hakes said in the Writer’s Digest interview. She eventually set aside early drafts and wrote her debut novel, “Hula,” which was named a Best Book of the Summer by Harper’s Bazaar and Elle and won HONOLULU Magazine‘s 2024 Book of the Year About Hawai’i award. When she returned to the pohaku story, she started fresh.

“Nearly all of it — minus the pohaku itself — is based on true events,” Hakes said.

The resulting novel spans Hawai’i and California from the 18th century to the present day, according to the publisher’s description. Hakes has said the book addresses themes of cultural preservation, environmental practices, and the power of storytelling — subjects she said carry unexpected relevance. “I never could have predicted its cultural relevance to some of the many conversations we’re having right now,” she said.

Brown, who will moderate the conversation, is a Southern California-based novelist whose “Black Candle Women” explored multigenerational family bonds and was praised by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, according to the book’s publisher.

Vroman’s Bookstore, founded in 1894, hosts more than 400 free community events a year at its Colorado Boulevard location in Pasadena’s Playhouse Village, according to the bookstore’s website.

“So much of what we do and who we are is informed by the times we live in,” Hakes said of writing intergenerational characters, in a Q&A posted on her website. The Vroman’s event offers Pasadena readers the chance to hear her discuss how she brought those times — and those women — to the page.

Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more call (626) 449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com. Tickets: $30 (hardcover).