Mark Panek is a Hawaii novelist and scholar. A professor of English at the University of Hawaii, he is the author of two books on prominent Hawaiian-born sumo wrestlers Percy Kipapa[1] and Akebono.[2] His biography of Akebono, titled Gaijin Yokozuna, was called "the best sumo biography in English" by The Japan Times.[3] Lo'ihi Press published his first novel, Hawai'i, a story of native rights, corruption, and a hotly contested race for Governor.[4]
Panek is a graduate of Colby College and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.[5] He received the University of Hawaii Regents' Medal for Excellence in Teaching in 2008[6] and the Elliot Cades Award for Literature in 2013.[7]