“Over the years, the petals on that tree in the center of that grove turned from the bright red blood of the lovers to the vivid orange of the flaming afternoon sun.”

CHamoru Legends: A Gathering of Stories retells 12 CHamoru legends and includes personal reflections from author Teresita Lourdes Perez, unique illustrations for each legend by Guam artists, and versions of the legends in the CHamoru language by Maria Ana Tenorio Rivera. The publication is a reversible book featuring the legends in English on one side and in CHamoru on the other. Through these multiple layers of interpretation, the book weaves together strips of wisdom and cultural lessons like the leaves used to shape the CHamoru guåfak, or mat, upon which the earliest CHamoru storytellers sat sharing their versions of these timeless tales.

2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medal recipient for Best Regional Non-Fiction for Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Rim.

Artist: Veroni Sablan and Kie Susuico