A writer's notebook
Armando T. Dahan

Local pieces, profiles, scenes, and the occasional thing I couldn't stop thinking about.

Profile Puna Rising
Ambergris & Alchemy: Robin Worley's Trash to Treasure Legacy
A portrait of an artist who turns what others discard into something worth keeping — and what that says about the place she calls home.
2025
Native Plants
EditorialPuna Rising
Native Plant Species Are Calling for Help. Who Will Answer?
On the quiet crisis happening beneath our feet in Hawaii — and the people working to do something about it.
2025
I'm Ready Now
EssayMedium
I'm Ready Now, But Is It Too Late?
On arriving at clarity — and wondering whether you got there just in time, or just too late.
2024
Promises Made Promises Kept
EssayMedium
Promises Made, Promises Kept
A promise fulfilled and a call to adventure. On making it to Hawaii and what it means to actually follow through.
2024
Lucero and Grillo
SceneOriginal
Lucero & Grillo
1995. A front porch in Los Angeles. Two immigrants negotiate what it means to build a life — and who gets to make the decisions.
2024
Hitchhiker
MonologueOriginal
Hitchhiker
Standing roadside in Hawaii, addressing the audience directly. On losing a car to a wild pig — and finding out what it means to need people.
2024
Promises Promises
SceneOriginal
Promises, Promises
INT. BREAK ROOM — DAY. A coworker asks for a favor. Mary is on break. These two facts are in direct conflict.
2024
Would You Like Some Chips
SceneOriginal
Would You Like Some Chips?
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL — DAY. A stranger sits down, offers chips, and ends up saying everything she's been carrying alone.
2024