UH Hilo’s Wailau features spring storytellers May 7

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Contact:
Alyson Y Kakugawa-Leong, (808) 932-7669
Int Dir, Univ Rel; Dir, Media Rel, University Relations, Office of
Posted: Apr 25, 2022

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo invites the public to view the spring episode of Wailau, scheduled for Saturday, May 7, 2 p.m., using this link: hilo.hawaii.edu/wailau/watch.php. Wailau is a storytelling event created to build connections across the UH Hilo campus and with the wider community. Spring’s episode features Tales of Misunderstanding.

The spring storytellers include:

● Apollo Harris, “The Cursed Goods of Robert H. Babe”
● Vijaya Singh, “No Room to Be Me”
● Kalei Rapoza, “Hana No????”
● Kurt D. Dela Cruz, “Two Men”

Student Kuʻuhiapo Jeong, alumna Dayva Escobar, along with topic expert Julie Mitchell, executive director of Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center, hosts the event. UH Hilo students play a major role in staging Wailau, from selecting the theme and stories, to operating lights, sound and cameras. Students from the UH Hilo English Club determine Wailau themes, review applications, and select storytellers.

View bios of the hosts and storytellers at: hilo.hawaii.edu/wailau/bios/spring-22.

Alumna Vijaya Singh, a 2015 UH Hilo graduate, returned to Hilo from her home in Long Island, New York, to film her story. She shares her thoughts on her Wailau experience: “I feel lucky and blessed and happy, because it has helped me see my full journey. I can get caught up in the minutiae of everything, everyday life, especially with my career; I always feel like I’m not moving fast enough. Being here, telling my story, even walking around town, put a lot of things in perspective. And now, getting to see things and sitting in restaurants, things I couldn’t do as a student, has brought everything full circle for me. It’s great to see how far I’ve come and allow myself a happy nostalgia. It will be my prevailing thought as I move forward in Long Island.”

Join the watch page on the day of the premiere. Those who wish to live chat with a Wailau host, storyteller, or other members of the online audience, may click on the YouTube logo on the lower left corner of the watch window. The full episode will also be available at the same URL immediately after the premiere.

Learn more about Wailau at : hilo.hawaii.edu/wailau/.