CNMI Center For The Book

Bweletáál Wischiirá, eew kkol Refaluwasch The Stick Dance, A Carolinian Tradition by Jude Litulumar, illustrated by Sinahi Nation, edited by the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy Commission and the Carolinian Affair’s Office, and published by the Lady Diann Torres Foundation through the Young Author’s Program. (2023 Official Selection: Children/Young Adult Category)

Local author Jude Litulumar shared: “I am grateful for the Northern Mariana Islands Center for the Book: Joeten-Kiyu Public Library to have considered my book as this year’s Official Children’s/ Youth Book selection! It was definitely shocking to see something I’ve made in my youth still hold relevancy now.  I believe that representation matters, and I am glad to be a part of that for our islands.”

“Saipan: A Brief History” by Don Farrell edited by Scott Russell and published by Micronesian Productions. (2023 Official Selection: Adult Category)

Author Don Farrell expressed this sentiment: “We are thankful to the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library for the honor of being named this year’s Library of Congress CFB Affiliate Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Joeten-Kiyu Public Library Center for the Book Adult Selection, because it fulfills the goal we set for this publication.

I say “we,” because our goal could not have been achieved without the support of so many people, in particular my wife Carmen Muna Dela Cruz Farrell and our son Richard, as well as our editor for this publication, CNMI Historian Scott Russell.

As Micronesian Productions, we had published the original version of Saipan, a Brief History and Tour guide in 1994 with the layout and design by Michael Cody and edited by Phyllis Koontz. We then published History of the Mariana Islands to Partition in 2011, followed by Modern History of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2017. Now, we wanted something that was short, easy to read, and could reach a much wider audience. That became Saipan, a Brief History, published in English, Korean, and Chinese in 2019.

At 112 pages, the new version was strictly history, was small enough to be affordable to the average Saipan resident, and would easily slip into a standard USPS first class mailer for friends and loved ones in America or elsewhere. By having it translated into Chinese and Korean (at that time the number one and two tourist groups visiting Saipan) we could help the visitor have a more memorable experience while on Saipan, and pass it one when they returned home. With Saipan, A Brief History now that it is listed as an ‘easy reader’ for English reading audiences all across America and will be featured at the 2023 National Book Festival of the Library of Congress, it will reach an even larger audience. Thank you for that help.”

“I Duendis: The Duendis” by Cielo Long (2022 Official Selection Children)

A story of a young girl named Rita who goes missing on Tinian and suffers the consequences of disobeying her mother. Written in Chamorro with English translation and published by the Lady Diann Torres Foundation’s Language and Literacy Young Authors Program.

“Marmalade’s Exciting Tail (Book One of The Marmalade Series)” by Katrina Manning (2022 Official Selection Young Adult)

Manning’s first book, Marmalade’s Exciting Tail, is set in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. It is a modern story of Claire Young, a Web developer who recently broke up with her fiancé. Planning for a fresh start, she starts packing to move to another city for an intriguing job offer when her cat escapes and runs away. Claire cannot imagine losing her furry best friend, so she does the first thing that comes to mind—she asks her ex-fiancé, Kirk, to assist her in the search.

“The Fundamental Issues Affecting the Northern Mariana Islands” by Jose S. Dela Cruz (2022 Official Selection Adult)

The Fundamental Issues Affecting the Northern Mariana Islands discusses in greater detail the political arrangement between the United States and the Northern Marianas. It highlights and discusses some of the fundamental issues affecting the Northern Marianas as a self-governing commonwealth within the American political family. The first set of issues includes its geographical isolation, small land area, small population, lack of natural resources, and lack of capital required for economic development. The second set of issues relates to local self-governance and matters of qualification and competence of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) public officials, both elected and appointed. In order for the CNMI to succeed as a self-governing commonwealth, several fundamental matters have to be addressed and issues related to such matters have to be corrected by its leaders.