Maile Meyer is the owner and founder of Native Books and Nā Mea Hawaiʻi. Read about her beginnings of Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and Native Books, Inc. here.

Lise was raised in Kalihi Uka, below the pink store.

They manage the institutional sales process and fulfillment for Native Books. Working with books about and by Hawaiʻi and the Pacific for over 7 years, Lise is also cultivating a skillset to care for Native Books' rare and out-of-print book collection.

Lise's favorite pastime is dream recollection. In addition to dreaming, they enjoy eating and reading, separately and sometimes together.

Sarah Kuaiwa is the big publications book buyer for Native Books and our sister store, Na Mea Hawaiʻi. She is responsible for keeping the shelves stocked with beloved titles new and old. Sarah is also a trained historian and art historian specializing in nineteenth century Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian-language materials, and Hawaiian material culture.

Favorite books: The Kingdom and the Republic, The Musubi Book, Clouds of Memories, and Waimea Summer

Kūakaloa is a kanaka maoli born on the Moku ʻo Keawe, raised in Hilo, and graduated from Nāwahīʻokalaniʻōʻpuʻu, a Hawaiian immersion school in Keaʻau. He moved to Oʻahu after the pandemic and graduated from UH Mānoa with a psychology degree.

Kūakaloa is Native Books' event coordinator and space manager, helping to create great events where community can gather, ensuring our space and staff are properly taken care of. His favorite events are the ones where people come to share knowledge and talk stories, inspiring others with their words.

When he isnʻt busy talking story- I mean doing his job- you can catch him at a local record store browsing through the $5 bin. He also loves traveling, having lived in both Canada and London, but always repping Hawaiʻi on his sleeve and in his heart.

Allison was born and raised on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

She manages the web sales for Native Books, and assists in the management of the Arts & Letters Gallery. Although multifaceted and not short of interests, she doesn’t know what else to write for this bio. She hopes you understand.

Tiffany was raised in Atlanta, on the ancestral lands of the Muscogee Nation, but doesn’t have a southern accent—well, not usually.

She is the small pub book buyer for Native Books & Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and a PhD student in Political Science and Museum Studies. A question currently on her mind is why floating in water feels more grounding than solid ground.

When she's not buried in books, Tiffany enjoys keeping a daily list of curious passing moments.

Favorite books: Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future and Waves of Knowing.

Lily was born and raised in Ko‘olaupoko, specifically in Kailua and Kāne‘ohe. She has spent the last few years in Seattle, WA earning a bachelor's degree in Literature and Creative Writing and fell in love with the PNW book community. They returned home because they missed family, the warmth of the kai, Hawai‘i’s soft rain, and the mālie clouds that perch along the Ko‘olau mountains.

Lily’s main responsibilities include off-site events / mākeke, wholesale orders, book transfers and deliveries, and frontline bookselling. Outside of Native Books she is also a book reviewer.

When Lily isn’t slinging books, they love to play cards with their tūtū, play beach volleyball, and think about how memory could be the real multiverse. 

Līhau Collier is a philosopher, writer, and kanaka ʻōiwi of Hawaiʻi.

She is inspired by mana wahine (powerful women), who make a positive difference for ka lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian people) and the world. Līhau has experienced the liberating aspects of maoli (indigenous) studies and with that, wholeheartedly became a part of our team. 

Her kuleana (responsibilities) include, editorial insights, design discussion, copyediting, proofreading, marketing, and distribution. She is empowered by each member of the hui, as each person's perspective helps shape her own.  Her favorite motto, “It's a kākou thing!”