"Best Local Poet." --Honolulu Weekly's Best of 2011 Special Edition
High Resolution Photos
High Resolution Photos are available below. Permission is given to use these images for press or educational purposes. If you have booked Kealoha to perform at an event, permission is also given to use these images to promote that event. Unauthorized use is a violation of Copyright law. As a courtesy, please send a quick email to [email protected] to let us know what you are using the photos for. If you need a different type of shot, we will be happy to send you a few more options.
Photo Credit:
Ronen Zilberman |
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Photo Credit:
Michael K.S.C. Wong |
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Photo Credit:
Mj Miljavac |
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Photo Credit:
Ronen Zilberman |
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Short Bio for Press Releases and Introductions
Kealoha is Hawaiʻi's first Poet Laureate Emeritus. As an internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, he has performed throughout the world -- from the White House to the ʻIolani Palace, from Brazil to Switzerland. He is the first poet in Hawaiʻi's history to perform at a governor's inauguration, was selected as a master artist for a National Endowment for the Arts program, was named an American Academy of Poets Laureate Fellow, and delivered the keynote address for MIT’s special commencement ceremony in 2022. Kealoha’s latest work, The Story of Everything, is a science-based theater production that has toured in various cities throughout the United States as both a live show and as a full-length feature film, winning awards such as Best Documentary, Best Male Actor, and Best Original Score at a handful of international film festivals. In the 7 years that he has represented Hawaiʻi at the National Poetry Slam, he has performed on the finals stage 4 times, was ranked in the top ten of the nations best poets in 2007, and was honored as a "National Poetry Slam Legend" in 2010. Kealoha was featured on HBO’s Brave New Voices series, and he has also made appearances on NBC, PBS, the Food Network, National Public Radio, and the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. He has performed at hundreds of live venues throughout the world including the Schiffbau (Zürich, Switzerland), the Bienal do Ibirapuera (São Paulo, Brazil), the NFL Pro Bowl halftime show, and the National Storytelling Network Conference. Kealoha's poetry has been printed by various publishers including the New York Times, the National Academy of Engineering, Auckland University Press, and Bamboo Ridge. He is the poetic vocalist for Henry Kapono’s “Wild Hawaiian” project (nominated for a Grammy), and has served as Hawaiʻi’s SlamMaster since 2003. Kealoha is the founder of Hawaiʻi Slam (ranked 2nd in the nation in 2015), Youth Speaks Hawaiʻi (2-Time International Champions), and First Thursdays (the largest registered poetry slam in the world with 500+ in attendance). He graduated with honors from MIT with a degree in Nuclear Engineering (and a minor in writing), served as a business consultant in San Francisco, and played around as a surf instructor prior to becoming a professional poet in 2002. Visit www.KealohaPoetry.com for more information.
Full-Length Bio for Articles
The full-length bio for Kealoha is on the Home page (click here) of this Website. Please add the following words to the end of it: "Visit www.KealohaPoetry.com for more information."
