How to build a story one ingredient at a time with Keala Kendall

Keala Kendall, author of the gothic novel *That Which Feeds Us*, reveals how colonialism’s hidden wounds are not just historical but actively haunting the present—especially in Hawaii, where the myth of paradise masks a brutal reality of displacement, militarization, and erasure. The book, born from a personal journey of diaspora and homesickness, evolved into a horror novel not by design, but because the facts of Hawaiian history demanded it: a sovereign kingdom with 98% literacy now has one of the lowest rates in the U.S., and its people are disproportionately unhoused. Kendall argues that horror is the most honest genre for this truth-telling—because it doesn’t sanitize the past. She draws parallels to *White Lotus* and Jordan Peele’s work, showing how genre fiction can expose systemic violence under the guise of entertainment. For educators, the book becomes a bridge: a visceral, emotionally charged entry point into critical conversations about place, power, and whose stories get told. It’s not a textbook, but a story that makes history feel alive—and dangerous in the best way. Kendall’s process was chaotic, ADHD-fueled, and deeply personal. She didn’t start with a horror outline—she started with a missing sister, a longing for home, and a desire to write about her people. But as she researched, the pieces fell into place: the real-life exploitation of Hawaii’s land, the imported foliage in old films, the pandemic-era recklessness of tourists.