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Professor Randall Roth has been at the forefront of Hawaii’s most talked-about issues in recent decades.

Rail? The University of Hawaii at Manoa law professor is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the project.

Bishop Estate? He’s one of the esteemed authors of “.”

Hawaii’s high cost of living? He’s edited the book, “The Price of Paradise.”

But what happened to him every time he spoke out? What is the price of civic engagement? His involvement in all of the above (and more) makes him a great candidate for a civil discussion with our readers.

And that is why we have invited him to talk with readers at Civil Beat.

Some of you may remember “beatups?” They were offline events at our newsroom where you could encounter key players in Hawaii and Honolulu, interact with our reporters and staff, and meet other readers in a physical civic square.

Civil Beat hasn’t done them in a while, but they’re coming back now, in a rejuvenated form, under a different name: The Civil Cafe. And yes, we’ll have coffee.

“For people who want to make a difference in Hawaii, being an island community, there’s an above-average chance to do that,” Roth said in an interview. “But there’s also an above-average chance that there’ll be rejection.”

In our island communities, speaking out for or against issues isn’t always encouraged. Even for things like elections, where citizens can keep their votes private, voter turnout has been abysmal. Reporter Alia Wong wrote an article this week on whether better civics education for teenagers might result in increased political engagement among young adults. A lack of civic engagement is, it is clear, a continuing problem in the state.

Roth will talk about the repercussions of his outspokenness, which he describes as “lessons learned from getting banged on the side of the head in life, and the bruises that come with trial and error,” he said.

There have been victories. Roth was also former Gov. Linda Lingle’s senior policy adviser. One of his key issues was Act 221, a law enacted in 2001 that provided a tax incentive for the state’s high-tech industry. His position on the law, detailed in a Honolulu Advertiser article, ruffled feathers in the industry it was meant to benefit. The tax credit ended in 2010. The state auditor’s office later calculated that it cost the government .

As for rail, the controversy over the project hasn’t gone away despite former Gov. Ben Cayetano’s defeat in the last mayoral election as the anti-rail candidate. It’s been a long-lasting fight that [Civil Beat] editor Patti Epler argues isn’t over.

Roth wrote a 2008 column about this very topic in Honolulu Magazine. It’s titled “” I’d recommend giving it a read because it provides a great context for our first Civil Cafe discussion.

Civil Cafe will take place on Oct. 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. It’s open to the public, but for logistical purposes, we’d appreciate it if you would .

Parking is available in our building for $4, otherwise there is ample street parking.

The event will be streamed live on our site, and we will host a chat where readers online can ask questions of Roth and our staff. Hashtag #becivil to follow along with the conversation on Twitter.

If you have any suggestions for future Civil Cafes, my inbox is always open for your suggestions. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you.