Aloha. I am an ʻŌiwi poet, performer, and educator. Born and raised on the island of Maui, I was surrounded by strong and resourceful wāhine, fisherfolx, hula dancers, singers, and storytellers. As an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, with an emphasis on ʻŌiwi (Hawaiian) literatures, I am committed to thinking through and creating space for new practices of poetry and poetics. I am particularly invested in creative projects grounded in aloha ʻāina and intersectional justice. In my own work, I often center discussions of gender, sexuality, belonging, and Indigeneity. Indeed Hawaiʻi nei is part of ongoing, global traditions of place-based, ancestor-affirming, decolonial storytelling, and I am interested in the many collaborations shaped by these connections. In fall 2021, I was selected as one of five winners of the annual National Poetry Series competition. My debut book of poems Ask the Brindled is scheduled to be published by Milkweed Editions in fall 2022.
Areas of Interest
creative writing; spoken word; Indigenous and decolonial poetics; Native Hawaiian literature and theory; Pacific poetry and performance; feminist studies; queer theory; cultural studiesAwards
- 2021 National Poetry Series
- 2019 Biography Prize
Courses
Fall Semester 2023
- ENG-313: Types of Creative Writing
- ENG-625D: Foundations of Creative Writing
Spring Semester 2023
- ENG-313: Types of Creative Writing
- ENG-613B: Grad Writing Workshop: Poetry: Writing Place, Writing Power
Fall Semester 2022
- ENG-313: Types of Creative Writing
- ENG-411: Poetry Workshop
Spring Semester 2022
- ENG-313: Types of Creative Writing
- ENG-416: Studies in Creative Writing
Fall Semester 2021
- ENG-273: Creative Writing: Introduction to Poetry
- ENG-713: Seminar in Creative Writing: Poetry of Witness