Garrett Hongo was born in Volcano, Hawai‘i, lived as a child in Kahuku on O‘ahu, and grew up thereafter in Los Angeles. He is the author of three collections of poetry, including Pulitzer Prize finalist The River of Heaven (Alfred A. Knopf, 1988), and two memoirs: Volcano: A Memoir of Hawai‘i (Vintage, 1996) and his latest, forthcoming from Pantheon, The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo. He lives in Eugene, Oregon, and teaches at the University of Oregon, where he is Distinguished Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.