:Lee Tonouchi

{{short description|American poet}}

Lee A. Tonouchi (born circa 1972) is a Hawaii-born writer and editor, who calls himself "Da Pidgin Guerilla" because of his strong advocacy of the Hawaiian Pidgin language.

Tonouchi graduated from Aiea High School in 1990.

He promotes the idea that Hawaiian Pidgin is an appropriate language for both creative and academic writing.{{cite news |title= Da Pidgin Guerrilla: Does the fate of Hawaiian Creole English lie in the hands of Lee Tonouchi? |author= Ryan Senaga |work= Honolulu Weekly |date= November 13, 2002 |url= http://www.honoluluweekly.com/archives/coverstory%20%202002/11-13-02%20Pidgin/11-13-02%20Pidgin.html |accessdate= December 3, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110516222509/http://www.honoluluweekly.com/archives/coverstory%20%202002/11-13-02%20Pidgin/11-13-02%20Pidgin.html |archive-date= May 16, 2011 |url-status= dead }}

He was inspired by the works of Eric Chock in the journal Bamboo Ridge.{{cite news |title= Heavy Lifting: The experimental journal Bamboo Ridge has survived 25 years, but its founders have realized promoting local literature is a Herculean task |newspaper= Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= March 6, 2003 |url= http://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/03/06/features/story1.html |accessdate= December 3, 2010 }}

All of his writing, including his Master's Thesis, is in Pidgin. He was an instructor of English at Kapiolani Community College in 2007.{{cite news |title= Lee Tonouchi is Living Pidgin: Instructor preserves Pidgin through teaching and various works including a play |work= The Kapio Newspress |date= February 13, 2007 |url= http://www.kapio.net/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=fc802ab1-14e0-4372-9356-0705602eacc1 |accessdate= December 3, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064859/http://www.kapio.net/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=fc802ab1-14e0-4372-9356-0705602eacc1 |archive-date= March 4, 2016 |url-status= dead }}

He also taught at Hawaii Pacific University during 2005,{{cite web |title= Local Writer Teaches Pidgin Literature Class at HPU |publisher= Hawaii Pacific University |date= Summer 2005 |url= http://www.hpu.edu/index.cfm?contentID=7126 |accessdate= December 3, 2010 }}

and later.{{cite web |title= Texts and Culture courses |publisher= Hawaii Pacific University |date= |url= http://www.hpu.edu/index.cfm?contentID=11882 |accessdate= December 3, 2010 }}

His works often address family relationship in a humorous way.{{cite news |title= Brothers’ rivalry runs as deep as the ocean |newspaper= Honolulu Star-Bulletin |author= John Berger |date= May 19, 2004 |url= http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/05/19/features/index.html |accessdate= December 3, 2010 }}

His principal works:

• Hybolics (1999), literary magazine in Hawaiian Pidgin (co-editor){{cite news |title= Hybolics 2 helps get 'da word' out |newspaper= Honolulu Advertiser |date= July 13, 2001 |author= Catherine E. Toth |url= http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jul/13/en/en06a.html |accessdate= December 3, 2010 }}
• Da Word (2001), a collection of short stories
• Living Pidgin: Contemplations on Pidgin Culture (2002), a collection of poems and essays
• Gone Feeshing (2004), a play first produced at Kumu Kahua Theatre
• Da Kine Dictionary:Da Hawai'i Community Pidgin Dictionary Projeck (2005), a dictionary of Hawaiian Pidgin