Kealoha

Infobox musical artist


Name = Kealoha
Background = solo_singer
Genre = Slam Poetry Spoken word Performance Poetry
Occupation = Slam Poet Speaker Educator Actor
Instrument = Vocals
URL = [http://www.KealohaPoetry.com/ Official Site]

Kealoha (translation: "The Love") is the stage name of slam poet Steven Kealohapau`ole Hong Ming Wong, founder of HawaiiSlam, First Thursdays, and Youth Speaks Hawai`i. He has been described as Hawai`i's "slam poet laureate." [http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/28/en/hawaii803280312.html HawaiiSlam celebrating its fifth successful year - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper] With a degree in Nuclear Engineering from MIT in 1999 [http://alum.mit.edu] , Kealoha has developed a poetic style that combines analysis with creative writing to investigate social, personal, and philosophical themes. [ [http://www.transitionhawaii.com/community/arts/profiles/kealoha_wong A Slam Dunk - Transition Hawaii: Inspiring Arts]

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 Hawaii to spark debate and dialogue within Hawaii's youth. [ [http://www.iolani.org/wn_usacad_100707_cp.htm Kealoha scores a SLAMdunk at `Iolani - `Iolani School Upper School Academics] Dichotomy debuted outside of Hawaii in 2007 at the National Poetry Slam, helping Kealoha to place 8th individually out of over 350 of the world's best slam poets. [ [http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2007/10/19/lifestyles/news03.txt Acts and Openings Archives - Kauai Garden Island News]

Other signature pieces include "Recess" (an uplifting piece that reminisces about playing on the playground and warns the audience not to fall into complacency), "The Male Feminist" (an empathetic male's perspective on violence towards women), and "Destiny" (a philosophical investigation of the popular notion of destiny). [ [http://www.honoluluweekly.com/archives/coverstory%20%202002/05-08-02%20Poetry/05-08-02%20Poetry.html Shaken, Not Stirred: Poets and the new poetry - Honolulu Weekly Archives] [ [http://www.molokaitimes.com/articles/51022235051.asp Ohana Poetry Night is slam dunk event - The Molokai Times - The Voice of Molokai] Kealoha currently lives in Honolulu, and serves as HawaiiSlam's SlamMaster. He hosts the First Thursdays poetry slam at the Hawaiian Hut, which is the largest registered poetry slam in the world (with an average attendance of 600+). [ [http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Jul/28/il/il01a.html National competition calls to Hawai'i slam poet - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper] He did nuclear fusion research, management consulting, and surf instructing prior to making a living as a professional slam poet. [ [http://www.hanahou.com/pages/magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=177&MagazineID=9 Hana Hou: The Magazine of Hawaiian Airlines - Back Issues]

Career

* Appeared on the National Poetry Slam Finals Stage four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008).
* Featured at major venues throughout the world including the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (New York City), New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Planet Hip-Hop Festival), the Green Mill (Chicago), the Schiffbau (Zurich, Switzerland), the Rokerij (Amsterdam, Netherlands), the Bienal do Ibirapuera (Sao Paulo, Brazil), and the NFL Pro Bowl halftime show.
* Poetic vocalist for Henry Kapono's "Wild Hawaiian" project, whose album was nominated for a Grammy.
* Wrote, performed in, and co-directed the State of Hawaii's "Can't Fool the Youth" anti-smoking campaign.
* Featured 3 times on the "World's Greatest Poetry Slam" DVD series (2004, 2005, 2007) and starred in the movie "Hawaii Slam: Poetry in Paradise."
* Has conducted workshops at over 100 schools, libraries, & prisons throughout his career. [ [http://www.kealohapoetry.com Bio - Official Kealoha Website]

References

External links

* [http://www.kealohapoetry.com Kealoha's Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/kealohapoetry Kealoha's MySpace Page]
* [http://www.hawaiislam.com HawaiiSlam Website]