M. Anne Kala'i
M. works across genres to knit connective tissue between disparate places and communities. Her fiction was longlisted for the DISQUIET Prize, shortlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize, and was a finalist for Mānoa Journal's Fiction Writing Contest. Her work has appeared in the Hawai'i Pacific Review, San Pedro River Review, and Halfway Down the Stairs. Kala'i is an alumna of Tin House's 2025 Autumn Online Workshop and PEN America's 2024 Emerging Voices Workshop LA, and is an upcoming resident at Vermont Studio Center. She is a Vassar College graduate and a member of the Los Angeles chapter of Women Who Submit.
About
My work often focuses on the edges of society, the slippery nature of reality, and the spiritual relationship between humanity and land. I find inspiration in the stories and memories of my maternal, Anglo-Midwestern family and my paternal, Chinese-Kānaka 'Ōiwi (Hawaiian) kin, both of whom share deep ties to their ancestral homes. My transient childhood also informs my work. Los Angeles is home now, but I still try to drive the country when I can, exploring the endless stories embroidered across the American landscape and its people.