Author Gavan Daws makes a rare public appearance at 7:30 tonight at the Mission Memorial Auditorium. Hosted by the Hawaiian Historical Society, "By Gavan Daws: The Writer and His Books" will see the author of the milestone "Shoal of Time" and "Land and Power in Hawaii" (with George Cooper) talking about writing, the publishing process and the fate of his books. You'll hear anecdotes (he tells a good yarn) about his adventures in publishing. Free. Information: 537-6271.

— Lesa Griffith

SCIENCE SUPERSTAR

RESEARCHER KICKS OFF UH LECTURE SERIES

Science maverick and leading genome researcher J. Craig Venter kicks off the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Distinguished Lecture Series at 7 tonight at the Campus Center Ballroom. Hailed as one of the crackers of the human genetic code, Venter's current project is combing the seas for new genetic material — expeditions by his Venter Institute have found almost 2,000 new species, yielding 1.2 million new genes. And that's just from the Sargasso Sea. New focus: The Pacific. Venter will talk about "The Ocean Genome: A Key to Earth's Habitability." Information: www.manoa.hawaii.edu/dls.

FINAL WORD

"There is stuff going on here the rest of the world will never know about."

Jeff Widener | Advertiser staff photographer, on documenting Island life, in The British Journal of Photography