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Ala Press is an independent publisher that focuses on indigenous Pacific Islander literature. We were founded in 2011 by Brandy Nālani McDougall and Craig Santos Perez.

“Ala” means “basket” and “nest” in the Chamorro language and “path,” “fragrance,” and “to rise up” in the Hawaiian language. As such, we chose to honor our press with the name Ala because of our belief that literature has the power to carry, nurture, guide, beautify, and awaken. We publish a diverse range of styles in poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, drama, graphic novels, and children’s books by writers who trace their genealogies to the native and first peoples of “Polynesia,” “Micronesia,” and “Melanesia.”

Co-Founders & Co-Editors:

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Brandy Nālani McDougall is Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Hawaiʻi), Chinese, and Scottish. She co-founded Kahuaomānoa Press and has over a decade of editing and publishing experience. She is the author of a poetry collection. She teaches Indigenous Studies in the American Studies Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Craig Santos Perez is Chamoru from Guåhan (Guam). He has worked as Editor for the past ten years for various literary journals and publishers. He is the author of three poetry books and teaches Creative Writing in the English Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.