Bill Harby  >  Imagery Ink
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Travel writing with a vivid sense of place, people and culture
Often serious, frequently silly

As a writer and photographer, Bill Harby specializes in vivid, engaging stories and photos with a strong sense of place and people. He is sometimes called upon to be, as one of his editors succinctly put it, "funny." These efforts have garnered him a select coterie of loyal readers and legions of others who couldn't care less.

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Bill has also written a novel, Saba's Desire, available on Amazon.

 

Publications

Bill Harby has written articles for and contributed photos to numerous Hawai‘i and U.S., Asian and European magazines, newspapers and websites, including Sunset, Islands, Details, Honolulu, swissinfo.com, Swiss News, newlyswissed.com, Expatica.com, Frontier, Geneva Lunch.com, TRVL, Discovery (Cathay Airlines),  Aloha, Spirit of Aloha, Maui no ka oi, Hawai‘i Westways, Hawai'i Island Journal, Hana Hou, Hawai‘i, Island Scene, Discover Hawaii, Malamalama, Phoenix, The Honolulu Advertiser, Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, and Guitar Player.



Partial List of Public Relations Clients:

Big Island Visitors Bureau

Maui Visitors Bureau
Volcano Art Center
Pacific Tsunami Museum

Anglo Media Group
Maui.net
Freedom Medicine
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Irondog Communications
Biegel Communications
Expedia.com
Gayot
Hawai'i Island Gourmet Products
Hawai'i Photo Retreat



Awards
Writing:

• First Place, editorial column, Hawaii Publishers Association, 1999

• Distinguished Medical Reporting Award, Hawaii Medical Assoc.

• Award of Excellence, feature story, Int. Assoc. of Business Communicators, 1999, 2001, 2003

• Award of Merit, opinion, Int. Assoc. of Business Communicators, 1999, 2000

• Award of Merit, feature story, Int. Assoc. of Business Communicators, 1997

• 3rd Place, editorial column, Hawaii Publishers Association, 2001

• Magazine editing (while Editor of Island Scene magazine):

• Award of Excellence, External Publication - Magazine, Int. Assoc. of Business Communicators, 1996, 2001, 2002

• Award of Merit, External Publication - Magazine, Int. Assoc. of Business Communicators, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001

• Photography: Honolulu magazine photography contest, 2005

Testimonials

John Heckathorn, former Editor, Hawai‘i magazine

Bill Harby is not your standard travel writer. He treats life in Hawaii as an adventure—and his writing always conveys that sense of adventure to the reader.

 

Lisa Baxa, Publisher, Island Scene magazine

I’ve worked with Bill for years in his roles as an editor, writer and photographer. As an editor, he worked well with freelance and staff writers and managed the planning and approval processes at all levels of the company. His writing is consistently professional, engaging, accurate, and well-written. When appropriate, his stories will make you smile, laugh or cry. As a freelancer, he proactively submits story ideas, is easy to work with, and meets his deadlines. What more could you ask for?

 

Phyllis Segawa, former Executive Director, Volcano Art Center

When I walked into the middle of a project that included several different government and nonprofit agencies, Bill was most helpful in getting me through the proper channels in a friendly, professional, and most efficient manner. His project, which clearly interpreted the message we intended, will be viewed by millions of people who visit Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. We will certainly work with him again.

 

Jessica Ferracane, former President, Irondog Communications

I’ve worked with Bill for more than a decade, from my journalism days when he was my favorite editor, to present. When I had my public relations agency, I relied on Bill as a skilled writer who could whip out witty, wise copy quickly. Bill’s sense of humor and passion for science, adventure and travel make him top of my list when I need that specific voice. He’s also a very talented photographer, and one of my favorite colleagues and friends.

 

Cheryl Tsutsumi, journalist, editor

As a longtime Honolulu-based freelance writer, I've had the opportunity to work with the editors of many publications, both in Hawai'i and on the Mainland. Bill Harby definitely ranks among the best of them.

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I wrote several health-related stories for Bill when he served as the editor of Island Scene, the quarterly magazine for the Hawaii Medical Services Association (HMSA). He was a writer's dream! His assignments were clear, his deadlines reasonable, and his payment policy fair. Most important, he was a sharp editor, asking questions and making suggestions that always improved my copy.

 

A few years later, Bill and I switched roles. He moved to the Big Island and started his freelance writing business, and I became the editor of Hawaii Meetings and Conventions magazine. One of the first writers I turned to was Bill. As expected, he nailed every assignment. He never missed a deadline, and his fun, easygoing demeanor made him great to work with. Also, he was able to tackle the most mundane topics with an engaging style that kept readers captivated.

 

Donna Saiki, Executive Director, Pacific Tsunami Museum

For three years, Bill has brought our Tsunami Story Festival stories to life with his insightful questioning and writing style. He has interviewed and written the accounts of persons and places affected by the tsunamis that destroyed the city of Hilo, and from such tragic stories he has brought out the underlying spirit of perseverance and optimism that exists here. He was flexible in arranging appointments and I could depend on him being there when he made a commitment. It has been nice working with him because it's obvious that he truly loves what he's doing.