Born and raised in Hawai‘i and living now in the continental United States, Debra Kang Dean writes poems of heritage and the struggle each of us undergoes as we push the boundaries around us—be they ones of family or location—and how distance brings the wisdom that, “when you let the island in you / the road both does and doesn’t lead you back.”

“At once a document of love and an embracing of her roots, but also a farewell of sorts, News of Home is strewn, like Kang Dean’s Hawaiian Islands, with smooth stones and beautiful moments.”

—John Hoppenthaler

“A poet reconciling words, doing honor to the language, telling us what it means to be alive “free to look in both direction, / behind … and ahead” Debra Kang Dean is a valued resource.”

—Colette Inez

“News of Home is a marvel of structure, a progress of repeated themes and images that blossom into an impressive pattern.”

—Peter Makuck