Novelist Kiana Davenport and Maui essayist Paul Wood will be honored as winners of the 2006 Elliot Cades Award for Literature in a free program at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant St.

Both winners will be on hand to read from their works.

Davenport is the author of the best-selling novels "Shark Dialogues" (1994) and "Song of the Exile" (1999). Her latest, "House of Many Gods," was released this year.

A kama'aina, Davenport now divides her time between New York City and the Islands. According to a Hawai'i Literary Arts Council press release, she has worked as a pineapple trimmer, stable hand and fashion model to support her literary endeavors.

Wood is the author of two comic story collections, "False Confessions: A Life in Hawai'i" (2002) and "Four Wheels Five Corners: Facts of Life in Upcountry Maui" (1996). He has written numerous short works, including fiction, magazine articles, poetry and radio programs. He teaches creative writing at Maui Community College.

The annual Cades Award was created by Charlotte and J. Russell Cades in memory of his brother, Elliot, a teacher and lover of literature. The awards are administered by the Hawai'i Literary Arts Council.