L. ‘Ailina Willis (Laranang)
The author lives in culturally saturated Lafayette, Louisiana where the music and food are unsurpassed, except by the warm cordiality of the local residents. She is herself a transplant to South Louisiana after spending the majority of her upbringing in the sleepy Cenla city of Leesville, and a few years overseas in her birthplace, Hawai’i.
‘Ailina is a homemaker and home educator, having taught her children for eight years to present. She holds down the fort alone for prolonged periods of time while her high school sweetheart, “Miner,” makes his living in the offshore industry.
‘Ailina’s “offsprigs” range in age from seven to seventeen: one boy, four girls. A sixth is due in October. Her kids are her delight and inspiration.
Her creative pursuits include writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; charcoal portraiture; research; and sewing & knitting.
‘Ailina is a member of the Writers’ Guild of Acadiana and the international women-only writers’ critique group, Writers & Critters. She’s also a member of the local homeschooling community, Magnolia Home Educators – a diverse network of homeschooling families in the extended Acadiana area.
‘Ailina’s parenting column, Winds of Wonder, appears regularly in AcadianaMoms magazine, and she is a regular contributor of the local pet interest magazine, Animal Lovers’ Guide of Acadiana. Her artworks and fiction have also appeared in The Louisiana Review (LSU at Eunice), The Danforth Review (Canada), Flashquake (Volume 8-Issue 2, Winter 2008/2009), Ka Nû Hou Hawaiian newsletter, and the Free SPIRIT homeschooling newsletter. In April 2006, ‘Ailina traveled to Hilo, Hawai’i to compete in the prestigious Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition.
Of all the sources of joy in ‘Ailina’s life, her greatest fulfillment comes from her beloved Heavenly Father, whom she aspires to serve every day of her life.
