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"Hawai'i's First Poet Laureate" --Chicago Tribune

"Kealoha is more than just a poet, he is a one- man poetry movement. He practices what he preaches about mindfulness and positivity in art, and his openness of his spirit, both onstage and off, is a true gift to our community." --Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow and author of "Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam"

Open Space for Arts & Community welcomes Kealoha, internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, to Vashon. Kealoha performs at Open Space on Tuesday, October 21 at 7pm, and will conduct two workshops at McMurray Middle School on Wednesday, October 22.

Kealoha was named the first Poet Laureate of Hawai'I in 2012. As an internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, he has performed throughout the world -- from the White House to Hawai'i's 'Iolani Palace, from Brazil to Switzerland. He is the first poet in Hawai'i's history to perform at a governor's inauguration, and in 2010 he was selected as a master artist for a National Endowment for the Arts program.

Kealoha was featured on HBO's Brave New Voices series presented by Russell Simmons, and he has been a featured performer at major venues throughout the world including the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (New York City), the Bowery Poetry Club (New York City), the Green Mill (Chicago), New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Planet Hip-Hop Festival), Schiffbau (Zurich, Switzerland), the Bienal do Ibirapuera (Sao Paulo, Brazil), and the 2007 NFL Pro Bowl halftime show. He is the poetic vocalist for Henry Kapono's "Wild Hawaiian" project (nominated for a Grammy).

In the 7 years that Kealoha has represented Hawai'i at the National Poetry Slam, he has performed on the finals stage 4 times. He was ranked in the top ten of the nation's best poets in 2007, and was honored as a "National Slam Legend" in 2010. One of the young voices of Hawai'i, Kealoha is equally at home creating poetry based on Hawaiian chant as slam poetry riffs, performing on theater stages or outdoor festivals, speaking for lecture series or for kids.

Exciting, vibrant, timely, Kealoha is a keen and optimistic observer of life around him, able to evoke the feelings of youth or the poignant stories of Hawai'i's history. His sense of poetry and theatre engages audiences of all ages.
Kealoha has made dozens of television appearances, including two performances for the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii's Grammys), PBS's Long Story Short (with Leslie Wilcox), and the State of Hawaii's "Can't Fool the Youth" anti-smoking campaign that he wrote, performed, and co-directed. He has performed 4 times on the "World's Greatest Poetry Slam" DVD series (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) and starred in the movie "Hawai'i Slam: Poetry in Paradise."

Kealoha graduated with honors from MIT with a degree in Nuclear Physics, served as a business consultant in San Francisco, and played around as a surf instructor prior to becoming a professional poet.

In the literature world, his poetry has been published by Bamboo Ridge, Real Word Magazine, and the Honolulu Weekly. Kealoha has shared the stage with leading artists Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Willie Nelson, Damian "Junior Gong" Marley, Jason Mraz, Michael Franti (Spearhead), Don Carlos, Medusa, and countless slam poetry superstars.

"Kealoha is more than just a poet, he is a one-man poetry movement. He practices what he preaches about mindfulness and positivity in art, and his openness of his spirit, both onstage and off, is a true gift to our community." --Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, 2011
National Endowment for the Arts Fellow and author of "Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam"

Tickets to Kealoha's Tuesday night performance are $10 in Advance and $12 at the Door, and $8 for Students. No one will be turned away for lack of funds – audience members are invited to Pay-What-You-Can at the door.

Tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com, Vashon Bookshop and at the door. Visit www.openspacevashon.com for additional show information, and www.KealohaPoetry.com for more information about Kealoha himself.

"The first poet to perform at a Hawai'i governor's inauguration." --KITV4 News

Kealoha was named the first Poet Laureate of Hawai'i in 2012. As an internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, he has performed throughout the world -- from the White House to Hawai'i's 'Iolani Palace, from Brazil to Switzerland. He is the first poet in Hawai'i's history to perform at a governor's inauguration, and in 2010 he was selected as a master artist for a National Endowment for the Arts program. In the 7 years that he has represented Hawai'i at the National Poetry Slam, he has performed on the finals stage 4 times, was ranked in the top ten of the nation's best poets in 2007, and was honored as a "National Slam Legend" in 2010.

One of the young voices of Hawai'i, Kealoha is equally at home creating poetry based on Hawaiian chant as slam poetry riffs, performing on theater stages or outdoor festivals, speaking for lecture series or for kids. Exciting, vibrant, timely, he is a keen and optimistic observer of life around him, able to evoke the feelings of youth or the poignant stories of Hawai'i's history. His sense of poetry and theater engages audiences of all ages.

www.openspacevashon.com