Live from the Atherton: Nikki Van De Car - The Invisible Wild

The Invisible Wild: Where Ancient Stories Meet Modern Struggles

An Evening with Author Nikki Van De Car

Join us for an intimate evening at the Atherton Performing Arts Studio as kanaka māoli author Nikki Van De Car shares the magic and meaning behind her acclaimed debut young adult novel, The Invisible Wild.

The novel follows sixteen-year-old Emma as she reconnects with her childhood ability to see and communicate with the forest spirits whose sacred home is threatened by a resort development. Through Emma's journey, Van De Car weaves together the ancient legends of Hawaiʻi—including the stories of the Menehune—with the urgent contemporary issues facing our ‘āina today: environmental destruction, cultural preservation, and the complex questions of identity and belonging in modern Hawaiʻi.

Drawing from her own experiences growing up in Volcano, Hawaiʻi, Van De Car will discuss how ancestral stories refuse to be left behind, the vital connection between people and land, and what it means to fight for the wild spaces—both visible and invisible—that shape who we are. She'll share insights about writing authentic Hawaiian representation, why stories of environmental activism and indigenous sovereignty matter now more than ever.

About the Author:

Nikki Van De Car is kanaka māoli and the author of over two dozen books on crafting and magic. The Invisible Wild is her first YA novel. Critics have praised it as "magically real and hopeful," a work that "breathes with the love of the land and her people." Van De Car lives with her family in Volcano on the Big Island.

Admission: Free

Live From the Atherton is Hawai‘i Public Radio’s new flagship multimedia series, featuring music performances, authors and other creative, original thinkers at our Atherton Studio. Throughout 2025, Hawai'i Public Radio will host ticketed events that feature a range of music, from Hawaiian, classical, jazz and indie, as well as authors and speakers across genres including fiction, young adult, keiki and Hawaiian history.

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The Live from the Atherton Author Series takes place on select Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings at the Atherton Performing Arts studio at Hawaiʻi Public Radio. This author series event begins at 6 .m. unless otherwise noted. Doors open thirty minutes before the event starts.

This event will be filmed, recorded and photographed. Your presence constitutes your release of all rights to your recorded voice and image, which may be used in projects by Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis — advance RSVP is strongly suggested.

Ticket Policy: If you are no longer able to attend this event, please consider cancelling your free reservation.

Parking: Street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood (metered parking is free after 6 p.m.).

Mahalo to HMSA for their sponsorship of our HPR “Live from the Atherton” events.

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