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¯ lia i ka nu‘u KU
Native Hawaiians at the top of their game
Grand slam for Hawai‘i’s new poet laureate By Lynn Cook
“F Kealoha has been named the first poet laureate of Hawai‘i. - Photo: Lynn Coook
usion energy was my thing,” says the newly named poet laureate of Hawai‘i, Kealoha. Fans agree Kealoha’s dynamically delivered original slam poetry is a fusion of energy and creativity that lifts an audience to a euphoric state with no enhancement needed, not even caffeine. This poet says: “Sometimes the slam poem sugarcoats the bitter pill of truth. And sometimes it touches a single soul.” Count among his admirers Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who invited Steven Kealohapau‘ole Hone-Ming Wong, known simply as Kealoha, to be part of his 2010 inauguration. At that moment Abercrombie
said he realized that as governor he had a unique power: “I could make proclamations!” So, he did. On May 3 he became the 43rd governor of a U.S. state to proclaim a poet laureate, in this case, Kealoha. Following the proclamation in the newly created Hawai‘i State Art Museum Sculpture Garden, Kealoha offered words to honor the setting. In his high-energy, profound manner, the poet offered a blessing and a challenge. His message reflected the mission of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, to provide a greater understanding of the meaning and significance of the arts. Honored with his new title and fresh from performing at the White House for the first National Philanthropic Briefing for Asian
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Americans and Pacific Islanders, Kealoha called the D.C. experience eye-opening. “These leaders gathered to explore ways that they could partner to bring about positive change, and I was the ‘Art Burst’ centerpiece in the policy and datafilled day.” Kealoha grew up in Honolulu, surfing the waves, dancing hula, playing ‘ukulele, break dancing and acing every class at Punahou School. Heading East, he graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, with honors and a degree in nuclear physics and a job in fusion energy waiting. He made an abrupt left turn and tried corporate America on for size. His clients were Mattel, Samsung, Adidas. Based in San Francisco, his job was aggressive marketing, Internet strategy, traveling across See laureate on page 9
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