Slam poet promotes peaceful dialogue
by Michael Skib
The Word interviewed Slam poet Kealoha during his visit:
What do you think of Earlham?
I think Earlham is awesome. I think you guys are really progressive in the way that you think and it’s a pleasure to be around intelligent students who are passionate about issues.
If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
Probably a dolphin. That’s an animal that symbolizes what I’m all about. I don’t know if you’ve ever interacted with one in the wild, but they’re hella intelligent, number one; number two, they frolic in the sea. And that’s what I do.
Hypothetically, if an Earlham student were in Hawaii at the same time as you, could you hook him/her up with surf lessons?
Totally, man. Look me up, and we’ll go surfing. For sure. Anybody, whoever, let’s do it.
What brought you to slam poetry?
I lost touch with who I was; I’d been putting on all these masks and faces, all these things you need to do to get by in the corporate world. I just wanted to return to the source and hike and surf. Dialogues like the ones we’re having and interactions with nature completely propelled my thinking and my poetry and gave me the inspiration to write.
What is your creative process?
I spend most of my time just doing the things that I enjoy doing. Going surfing, hiking, hanging out with friends, whatever. When that moment of inspiration hits, whatever it is — I could be on the middle of the dance floor, at the top of a mountain - if that inspiration hits, I drop whatever I’m doing, and I write. More often than not, if you try to recapture that moment later on, what you produce isn’t going to be as good as what you could have produced in the moment.
You took a year off before deciding to become a slam poet. Would you encourage students to take time off after graduating?
Yeah. If you have the means to do it, then absolutely. But the thing is, it’s not about taking time off and fooling around, it’s about taking time off and really thinking about what it is that your life’s about, what you are passionate about. You put so much of yourself into your studies and you get your mind totally expanded, but you don’t necessarily have a whole lot of time to reflect on what that means and where that has taken you, how you’ve changed as a person in those four years. I think that having some time to do that is critical.
How do you remain humble?
My mom, my dad, they raised me to respect other people. In addition to that, I grew up next to a mountain, and next to an ocean. [When you live next to a mountain and next to an ocean] you’re surrounded by all these huge things that are vast and unfathomable. I feel like it’s only natural that a certain amount of humility follows given those influences.
Why are you a feminist?
In all of my life I’m just a confluence of influences, various things propel me to do what I do. Being raised by an awesome mother and father who taught me values that were all about respect and equality — it was only natural to view women as a perfectly equal. In college, I was surrounded by people of like minds; we all just wanted social justice and equality, whether it was with race identity, gender, sexuality, economic, or whatever, all of that has been on my mind since college. Another big part of my progression as a feminist was that I dated a couple of women who had experiences with sexual violence, and going through that with them was very enlightening.
What do you think of having a men’s only event such as the men’s forum?
These places exist, safe places for specific people. As long as they have the right intentions, they can be a really safe space for people to explore their insecurities or ignorance and become educated in a place where they won’t be judged — as long as that men’s forum taps into the larger community and allies itself with other organizations. I think that the kinds of things that were discussed last night [at the men’s forum meeting], I don’t think would have been necessarily discussed if there was female energy in the room.
What does your stage name mean?
Kealoha literally means “the love.” It’s short for my middle name.
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