Kealoha (poet)

Kealoha
Kealoha in Honolulu, 2007
Kealoha in Honolulu, 2007
Background information
Birth nameSteven Kealohapauʻole Hong-Ming Wong[1]
GenresSlam Poetry
Spoken word
Performance Poetry
Occupation(s)Poet Laureate
Slam Poet
Storyteller
Speaker
Educator
Actor
Instrument(s)Vocals
`Ukulele
WebsiteOfficial Site
Kealoha speaking at the Gubernatorial inauguration of Neil Abercrombie

Kealoha (born Steven Kealohapauʻole Hong-Ming Wong) is a poet and storyteller based in Hawaii. He was the first Poet Laureate of Hawai'i and the first poet to perform at a Hawaii governor’s inauguration.[2] In 2022, he received a Poets Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets.[3][4]

Life

He is of multi-ethnic heritage with Hawaiian, Chinese, and Caucasian descent.[5][6] With a degree in Nuclear Engineering from MIT in 1999,[7] He has worked for interscope records since 2001.[8]

Kealoha currently lives in Honolulu, and serves as HawaiiSlam's SlamMaster. He hosts the First Thursdays poetry slam at Fresh Cafe, which is the largest registered poetry slam in the world (with an average attendance of 500+).[9] He did nuclear fusion research, management consulting, and surf instructing prior to making a living as a professional slam poet in 2002.[10]

Poetry

He has performed throughout the world.[11] In 2010, he was honored as a "National Slam Legend" at the National Poetry Slam and was selected as a master artist for a National Endowment for the Arts program.[12][13] In the genre of storytelling, he has showcased at events such as the National Storytelling Network Conference, the Bay Area Storytelling Festival, and the Honolulu Storytelling Festival.[13]

He is a proponent of "the spoken word", saying "it makes us laugh and cry and wonder and empathize. It provides a mirror for us so we can see who we are as individuals and as a collective. It documents our beliefs and our many cultures through space and time. It expresses all facets of our humanity from the beautiful to the ugly. It shows us what is possible. It inspires us. It shifts our paradigms. It was exposure to slam poetry that made Kealoha return to Hawai'i to pursue slam poetry.[14]

His best known work is the performance poem Dichotomy (a.k.a. Hawaiian in the 21st Century), an identity piece that demonstrates conflicting arguments within the Native Hawaiian community. Written in 2004, Dichotomy has been used in classrooms throughout the state of Hawai'i to spark debate and dialogue within Hawai`i's youth.[15] Dichotomy debuted outside of Hawai`i in 2007 at the National Poetry Slam, helping Kealoha to place 8th individually.[16]

Other signature pieces include Recess, The Male Feminist, Destiny, Zoom Out, Chances, and "The Story of Everything" .[17][18][19]

Career

He is the founder of HawaiiSlam, First Thursdays, and Youth Speaks Hawai`i. Kealoha conducts workshops at schools, libraries, and prisons.[20]

In 2005, Kealoha featured in the film "Hawaii Slam: Poetry in Paradise" - a documentary about four Hawaiian poets' success at a national competition.[21]

In 2009, Kealoha featured in HBO's 'Brave New Voices' series.[22]

Kealoha contributed to the State of Hawai'i's "Can't Fool the Youth" anti-smoking campaign, and was interviewed for PBS's "Long Story Short" in 2010.[23]

Kealoha appeared in the 2011 film "Get a Job", in the role of "bus washing poet".[24]

In 2022, Kealoha gave a commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[25]

In November 2024, Kealoha was a writer in residence at Punahou School.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Introduction - U.S. State Poets Laureate: A Resource Guide - Research Guides at Library of Congress". Loc.gov. April 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Poets academy gives $50,000 grants to local, state laureates". ABC News. August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "The Academy of American Poets Awards $1.1 Million to 22 Poet Laureate Fellows Across the Country in Support of Public Projects". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "Tarleton Ink: Slam Tax Day with Hawaii Slam Poet Kealoha April 14". Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  6. ^ I am Hawaiian in the 21st century
  7. ^ "MIT Alumni Association". alum.mit.edu.
  8. ^ A Slam Dunk - Transition Hawaii: Inspiring Arts
  9. ^ "National competition calls to Hawai'i slam poet | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper". the.honoluluadvertiser.com. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "Speaking Their Art". Hana Hou!.
  11. ^ Governor names Kealoha as State^s first ever poet laureate [dead link‍]
  12. ^ "世界杯2022赛程表 - 视频大全 - 高清在线观看".
  13. ^ a b "David y. Ige".
  14. ^ Kealoha. Interview. By Ryan Casey. 14 November. 2019.
  15. ^ "Kealoha scores a SLAMdunk at 'Iolani - 'Iolani School Upper School Academics". Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "Acts and Openings Archives - Kauai Garden Island News". Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  17. ^ "Shaken, Not Stirred: Poets and the new poetry - Honolulu Weekly Archives". Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  18. ^ "Ohana Poetry Night is slam dunk event - The Molokai Times - The Voice of Molokai". Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Real Life 101 - Campus Life 101
  20. ^ "Kealoha". Kealoha.
  21. ^ "Honolulu Star-Bulletin".
  22. ^ https://www-new.psfc.mit.edu/news/2022/poet-kealoha-wong-99-to-speak-at-the-mit-classes-of-2020-and-2021-graduation-celebration
  23. ^ https://www.pbshawaii.org/ourproductions/longstory_transcripts/LSS%20321%20Transcript%20-%20Kealoha.pdf
  24. ^ "Get a Job". IMDb.
  25. ^ "Hawaii's very first poet laureate invited to give commencement address at MIT". May 22, 2022.
  26. ^ "Writer-in-Residence: Kealoha". November 5, 2024.
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