Eddie Would Go By Coleman Stuart Holmes

by Stuart Holmes Coleman

Every winter the world s elite big wave riders gather at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu and wait When the sun comes up they size up the waves and ponder Would Eddie Aikau go Eddie Aikau rode the biggest waves in the world rescued hundreds of drowning swimmers from the North Shore s unfor giving waters and ultimately sacrificed his life to save fellow sailors aboard the voyaging Canoe Hokulea The Eddie is the world s most prestigious surfing contest held only when the waves reach at least twenty feet high Eddie Would Go is the splendid tale of Aikau s legendary life and legacy an informative history of surfing and an engrossing account of modern Hawaii In the 1970s a decade before bumper stickers and T shirts bearing the phrase Eddie Would Go began popping up all over the Hawaiian islands and throughout the surfing world Eddie Aikau was proving what it meant to be a waterman As a fearless and gifted surfer he rode the biggest waves in the world as the first and most famous Waimea Bay lifeguard on the North Shore he saved hundreds of lives from its treacherous waters and as a proud Hawaiian he sacrificed his life to save the crew aboard the voyaging canoe Hokule a Eddie Would Go is the compelling story of Eddie Aikau s legendary life and legacy a pipeline into the exhilarating world of surfing and an important chronicle of the Hawaiian Renaissance and the emergence of modern Hawaii

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About the author

Stuart Holmes Coleman has had two lifelong passions, writing and surfing. The son of a minister, he was baptized as a surfer in the small waves of Charleston, S.C. Surfing helped him overcome his childhood fears of tidal waves and drowning. While taking a unique course called “Cultures of the Pacific” in school, he began dreaming about living in Hawaii some day. After graduating from the University of South Carolina’s Honors College, Coleman moved to Los Angeles for bigger surf and better career opportunities. In L.A., he worked as an arts editor for an entertainment magazine. Returning to the East Coast in 1991, he studied at American University’s Creative Writing Program and received an MFA degree. In 1993, Coleman finally realized his dream of moving to Hawaii. In the Islands, he soon learned about the legendary Eddie Aikau, the man who rode swells the size of tidal waves and saved hundreds of lives from the deadly surf. Working on EDDIE WOULD GO allowed Coleman to pursue his passions for surfing and writing.

As a writer, Coleman has been published in numerous publications, including The Associated Press, The Washington Post, USA Today, Charleston Magazine, Honolulu Magazine, Hemispheres and Longboard Magazine. His articles on Eddie have appeared in The Honolulu Advertiser, Destinations and Surfer’s Path. Coleman has won a number of writing honors, including U.S.C.’s Waring Award for Creative Writing and the Writer-in-Residence position at St. Albans School. His poems have been published in journals like The Atlanta Review, The Formalist and The Hawaii Review.

http://stuart-coleman.com