Dr. Tjarks is an Associate Professor of English at Hawaii Pacific University, where he teaches playwriting and film, a Board member of Playbuilders of Hawaii, and an Advisory Board Member of Kauai Communty Players. Since 2004, he has had over 20 productions and staged public readings of 11 of his plays on three Hawaiian islands and the Mainland. He is a recipient of Kumu Kahua Theatre’s Resident Prize for Playwriting, Aloha Performing Arts Company’s Opie for Best Play, and two Women in Theatre’s Best Comedy awards. His most recent play, Houseless in Paradise, based on the shared stories of homeless residents of Hawaii was “honored and celebrated” by a State of Hawaii Senate Proclamation and supported by grants from the Mayor’s Office of Culture and Arts, the Hawaii People’s Fund, and the Hawaii Pacific Trustees Scholarly Endeavors Program.