ISSUE 7 // STARTISTS [FALL 2015]

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Raelyn Batacan Ellie Kakazu

Chelan Crane

Tasha Mero

Reina Macaraeg (intern)

Sage Battad (intern)

Brittany Reis

Ashley Guzman

Rachel Kamita

Kahealani Uehara

Jenny Paleracio

Ashley Onzuka

JOIN

FOUNDERS

Vina Cristobal

@VEEXC_

FoundingEditor-in-Chief

Peter Cheng

@CHENGMAN808

Co-founder

Writer / Marketing

@RAELYNRB

Marketing

@LIVINTHE808

Mark Galacgac

Roselle Julian

Graphic Designer

@M.GHEE

Graphic Designer

@R.CZE

Writer

@ELLIEKNOWSBEST

Writer

@CHELANNY

Writer

@ITSMEETASHAAA

Videographer / Writer

@ASHKIMIE

Writing Intern

@REINANANA_

Photographer

@BRITTANY.REIS

Photographer

Photographer /Videographer

@ASHGUZ

Videographer

@WITHOUTYOUITSJUSTME

Videographer

@SHAKAHEA

GO TO HNLFLOW.COMFOR MORE INFORMATION

EST 2013

@JENANPAL

H N LF L O W. C O M

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YOUNG BLOODTHE

Jason PerezPhotographer

Sophomore, Chaminade University!

@NEONGROWLER

Reese KatoPhotographer

Junior, UH Manoa!

@TOSHIICHI

Marleen TanaPhotography Intern

Senior, Roosevelt High School

Honolulu Community College Graduate

@MAR.LEEN

Lindsey GanoMarketing /Design intern

Senior, Mililani High School!

@LYN_ZI

Clayton NelsonPhotographer

Junior, Hawaii Pacific University!

@CLAYTONBNELSON

Kevin TumbagaGraphic Designer

@KEVRT

Austin ChunContributing Graphic Designer!

Junior, UH Manoa!

@ALTHIPSTER

YOUNG BLOOD /Y NG BL D/ N. Derived from a song by The Naked and Famous and an unrelated track with the same name by indie artist Bea Miller. 2. A two-word phrase used to describe the new faces of the HNL Flow Fam.

People say, "Blood is thicker than water.” This phrase is often associated with the meaning that your family - your blood - can withstand any obstacle and can accomplish anything together. Between July and October, seven new faces have appeared in the Flow Fam, with an eager curiosity in their eyes and a passion burning in their hearts. Their journey will be filled with victories and failures, big and small, but will withstand their promises as members of the Flow Fam.

welcome to the family.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

PNEUMA LIFESTYLES

KALLIYAN

SCARLET CORD

MALIA DERDEN

GELLIE CABUYADAO

ISSUE 8

LOOKBOOK SNEAK PEEK

OCEAN CREATIONS08

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H N LF L O W. C O M

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Best,

Vina Cristobal

Editor-in-chief!

0

F R O M T H E

LEDITOR

etter

Hey Flow Fam,

When thinking of the theme for Issue 7, I thought about the time I started HNL Flow

two years ago as a college junior at Chaminade University. I always wanted to be a

magazine editor because I’d spend my time reading magazines - not just looking at

all the glossy visuals, but delving into the stories that accompanied these beautiful

illustrations. I wanted my magazine to have a powerful e"ect on people. I wanted it to

be just as awe-inspiring as the magazines I read as a teenager.!

Years later, I still can’t believe that dream of being a magazine editor has come true.

I was only a student when I launched Flow and it was a tireless struggle. My idea of

outings became covering events and editing articles and videos. My friends went to

bars; I frequented co"ee shops instead to do my work. I sacrificed so much just to

pursue something that I loved, even though I was young. At first I saw my grades slip,

my paychecks diminish, my friendships break, but I had to remind myself, “This is what

I want. This is my dream.”!Along the way, I was thankful to find people like myself who

were creative, passionate, hard-working humble students in high school and college.

Flow was no longer my magazine; it was a collaborative e"ort of all those people I’ve

worked with.

Speaking from personal experience, going to school and pursuing a passion can be a

challenge, but it's doesn't mean it's impossible. I've seen people become successful with

something they love, even though there's more sacrifice to it than originally planned.!

This issue is showcase for student artists to present their work, whatever it may be.

Music, art, fashion - there's no limit. It tied into our backstory of being a student-run sta"

with individual creative talents. We know this beautiful struggle as well as the people

we've featured...and it's a rewarding struggle indeed.!

FLO

WC

AP

Readership from last issue (Issue 6):

MAHALO TO ALL OF OUR READERS!

In August, we

held our first Flow

Show! Thanks to

all the vendors and

artists that made

it possible! Photos

and videos (by

Blake Abes) can

be found on our

Facebook.!

JULY 2 72015

AU G 0 82015

Flow Show: Summer Edition

2,177


# S U M M E R F L OW S H OW

CULTURE&YOU ISSUE

on the next issue.

If you’re searching for a younger reader

base to reach out to, HNL Flow is

looking for individuals or companies to

advertise in our future issues!

For more information,

e-mail [email protected]

about our advertising rates.

RUN AN AD WITH US

Flow Show: Summer Edition

H N LF L O W. C O M

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HNLFLOW.COM

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H N LF L O W. C O M

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She’s a triple threat - talented, intelligent, and absolutely gorgeous.

WORDS CHELAN CRANE PHOTOS BRITTANY REIS

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Haelee Tallett, founder and creator of

Ocean Creations, defines the whole idea

of ‘work and play.’ She spends most of

her time at Chaminade University, where

she currently studies both business and

communication.

However, when she is not in class she

commits even more of her time in to af-

ter school programs, most notably the

Chaminade University Hogan Entrepre-

neur Program.

Don’t be fooled though. Haelee may be

smart at hitting the books, but she’s also

one tough cookie. In fact, Tallett is a black

belt in Taekwondo and currently teaches

both youth and adult classes.

And then there is this. Her passion. Her

business. Ocean Creations.

Haelee began making jewelry during

her sophomore year in high school, but

it wasn’t her intention to turn her craft in

to a business at first. She simply enjoyed

making jewelry for her own personal use.

It was then that people began to notice

and want her creations for themselves.

Since high school, business for Haelee

has been consistently growing. But truth

be told, so are many other jewelry busi-

nesses in Hawaii. Handmade jewelry is a

popular trend on the islands these days,

and that means

OCEAN CREATIONS


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competition is always prevalent.

Haelee’s solution? It’s simple: “always

be one step ahead.”

One of the most special aspects of

Ocean Creations is that all of its shells

come straight out of our waters and are

hand picked by her own brother, whom

she describes as being a “beach bum.”

But what really di"erentiates Ocean

Creations from other local jewelry

businesses is the fact that Haelee

donates a portion of her proceeds back

to marine life conservations. It’s her

way of giving back and respecting our

waters in return for providing her with

its beautiful treasures.

Although Ocean Creations is running

solely o" of social media, Haelee is

currently in the works of creating a

website for her growing business.

As far as the future is concerned,

Haelee has dreams of one day opening

her own storefront. But in the meantime,

she’ll stick to building a solid foundation

for herself and her business by keeping

her priorities straight and focusing

primarily on finishing school.

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Liane Ancajas launched Pneuma Lifestyles

in 2012 and kicked it into high gear in 2015.

Since then, the brand has gained a lot of

momentum and success, but the reason

why it all started will never change. The line

was created to inspire people to get out and

live a fulfilling life. Her love for fashion, art,

surfing, and people is evident through the

company and it is a beautiful thing to see.

In addition to inspiring others to get out

and enjoy their environment, the company

wants to reach out to those who are in need

around the globe.

“It all started when I went on a mission trip in

the Philippines. I gave these kids these little

fruit erasers and they were so overjoyed, you

would have thought they got a brand new

car or they got a million dollars. They were

that grateful. So just the expression touched

my heart so much,” said Liane.

“I wanted the brand to be around the

concept of doing the things that fuel your

spirit, doing things you love, the things

you’re passionate about.”

There are many ways to fuel your Pneuma

(which means “Spirit” in Hebrew).

WORDS ELLISE KAKAZU PHOTOS VINA CRISTOBAL VIDEO ASHLEY ONZUKA

H N LF L O W. C O M

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Pneuma Lifestyles: a Christian surf brand that hopes to spread positivity and passion around the world.


“Just get out there and experience life in abundance. Life is too short to be cooped up at home by the TV or behind a computer.

“It can be anything from something simple

such as DIY projects and art, singing or

playing an instrument, to going on amazing

adventures around the world and helping

those in need,” explained Liane.

Surfing the waves of Oahu or Kauai is one

way Liane enriches her spirit. Her love of

the ocean and staying active is reflected

in many of the designs. Good vibes,

positivity, and Christian values are some

other things that are embodied in Pneuma

Lifestyles’ apparel.

As the brand continues to grow, Liane hopes

to someday visit third world countries to

share the love and compassion of Pneuma

Lifestyles. Touching people’s lives and

making an impact, big or small, is very

important to the company and its founder.

Here is a encouraging message that Liane

would like to share with all of the HNL

Flow readers:

“Just get out there and experience life

in abundance. Life is too short to be

cooped up at home by the TV or behind

a computer. I would definitely recommend

everyone to just take some time to

immerse themselves in creation, reflect

on their spirituality, and hopefully get to

know the God who loves them.”

H N LF L O W. C O M

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I would definitely recommend everyone to just take some time to immerse themselves in creation, reflect on their spirituality, and hopefully get to know the God who loves them.”

The world should really embrace the ideas that this

brand symbolizes. It is time to take a break from the

laptops and the smartphones. Enjoy the outdoors. Do

things that fill your spirit with joy and ignite a fire of

passion.

If you would like to purchase Pneuma Lifestyles apparel

or learn more about the company, visit their website or

Facebook page. Also, don’t forget to follow them on

Instagram!


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Kalliyan

WATCH OUT, WORLD!Kalliyan Davis is a young girl with some big talent.

NAME: Kalliyan Davis

AGE: 15 year old

SKILL: Vocalist & Musician

WORDS TASHA MERO PHOTOS JASON PEREZ VIDEO VINA CRISTOBAL

H N LF L O W. C O M

19Kalliyan

Kalliyan comes from a musical family and

as she was growing up, her parents would

always play rock music in the car. Because

Kalliyan’s parents loved this kind of music

so much, she became interested in the

rock genre at a very young age. Kalliyan

started playing the piano at around age

5 and began performing at age 6. She

initially started o" on the acoustic guitar

and then fell in love with the electric guitar,

which she’s been playing since she was

8 years old. Kalliyan mentions that she

is influenced by bands such as Weezer,

Young the Giant, The Smashing Pumpkins

and Led Zeppelin. She has a small

collection of various guitars, but says that

she really likes her Baby Martin acoustic

guitar because she can take it anywhere.

Since age 10, Kalliyan has been part of a

band called Chaotic Five, so she is already

familiar with being on stage. The band is

currently taking a break, but together,

they’ve performed at numerous venues

both in the state and on the mainland as

well. Kalliyan enjoys getting up in front of

an audience because she feels that she

is a natural performer. Kalliyan recalls that

even when she was younger, she was

never afraid to perform in front of people.

“My favorite part is after you’re finished

performing,” explains Kalliyan. “[When]

everybody claps for you, that’s like the

best feeling.”

Kalliyan’s debut EP, “Ascend,” was

released earlier this year and showcases

her singing ability, as well as her talents

on the electric guitar. The EP contains

four di"erent songs: “Whispers,” “Broken,”

“Turning My Back” and “Ascend.”

When it comes to songwriting, Kalliyan

draws inspiration from personal situations.

Each track in her EP, which is available on

iTunes, is based o" of various points in

her own life. She explains that the lyrics in

“Turning My Back,” talks about turning away

from troubles and was based on a time when

she was dealing with friendship troubles.

She’s a singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist—and oh yeah, she has her own rock band.


“I hope that I can improve on teamwork and being a leader, [to] just improve my music in general and have fun,”says Kalliyan.

“I feel pretty accomplished, but I know I can do better in the future, so I just hope I can keep going.”

Kalliyan

H N LF L O W. C O M

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She dedicates a lot of time to work on her

music, estimating that she practices at least

7 hours a week. However, in the midst of

being a musician, 15-year-old Kalliyan is

still a student, first. She is a sophomore at

Punahou High School and has had to juggle

numerous responsibilities. Although Kalliyan

feels that she isn’t very organized, she says

that it somehow all works out and that she’s

still able to manage her busy schedule.

In addition to being a musician and a

student, Kalliyan also gets involved in

some side projects as well. She recently

made her debut as an actress in a local

short film called “Jackie Claxton: Greener

Pastures.” Her character, Jackie Claxton,

is a teenage superhero who battles evil

forces and has the power of teleportation.

The sci-fi film, directed by Tony Young, also

features some original music by Kalliyan.

When asked about her future after high

school, Kalliyan says that she is interested

in studying engineering in college. But in

regards to her career as a musician, she

hopes that she can continue on this path

and create more music.

“I hope that I can improve on teamwork

and being a leader, [to] just improve my

music in general and have fun,” says

Kalliyan. “I feel pretty accomplished, but I

know I can do better in the future, so I just

hope I can keep going.”

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HNLFLOW.COM

There’s something about live bands that gets the people going.

Being a fan of many genres that sometimes crossover, I’ve always

favored alternative bands for many reasons. Knowing how to play

an instrument takes discipline. Working as a team with your band

members takes patience and commitment. Being in front of a crowd

wondering if they’ll like you or not and still showing great stage

presence takes courage.

Now imagine being a student and applying all of that.

I watched the Fresh Preps perform at the Flow Show: Summer

Showcase this past summer and watched Josh, lead vocals, do

a one-handed hand stand before their cover of “I Feel Good” by

James Brown. I thought to myself, ‘Dang these guys are good - how

could I have not heard of them before?’

F R E S H L Y

P R E P P E DFour amazing talents rock it out. Fresh band, fresh style of music, freshly prepped.

WORDS RAELYN BATACAN PHOTOS CLAYTON NELSON VIDEO

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VINA CRISTOBAL

Sure enough, the more I listened, the

more I liked them. As they performed

“Zombie Song”, an original track inspired

by the movie Zombieland (Streetlight

Cadence was a featured artist), these

four amazing talents rocked out wearing

Plants vs. Zombies masks singing

about Twinkies being covered in guts. I

immediately became a fan.

Modeled after their parents and their

love of Rock Bands and Guitar Hero,

these four have been playing their

instruments for years. Aaron Garcia

(lead guitar, vocals), Daniel Lyons

(bass, vocals), and brothers Joshua

(rhythm guitar, keyboard, vocals) and

Joseph (drums/percussion) Stephens

put together their talents and formed

the Fresh Preps in 2013. Inspired by

their friends, they played together at

open mics and did performances in the

streets of Waikiki.

“It’s really the coolest thing we’ve

ever experienced as a live band,” said

Joshua.“Because they stop and they

see us, not meaning to. They give us

money which is unbelievable, they don’t

even know who we are,”

Why do they call themselves the Fresh

Preps? One night during an open mic

session, a homeless man showed up,

saw them play, got on stage and started

to sing with them.

Shortly after, he said they should call

themselves The Fresh Preps!

H N LF L O W. C O M

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“It’s really the coolest thing we’ve ever experienced as a live band,” said Joshua. “Because they stop and they see us, not meaning to. They give us money which is unbelievable, they don’t even know who we are.”

“We’ve seen him a couple times because

we didn’t know his name, so we’d drive by

and say, that’s the dude – [he’s the one

who] named the Fresh Preps and started

it all!” said Joshua.

Inspired by bands such as the Beach Boys,

Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, among

others, they dedicate five to six days of the

week to hone their craft and perfect their

sound. There’s artistry in mixing and putting

together a song, so the band members

became conscious of creating their music

that didn’t stop them from creating just a

demo. When recording “Don’t Ask Me

Why”, they never stopped recording until

they got it perfect; eventually they got it

mixed and mastered professionally.

“Sometimes it takes a lot of time... That and

there’s a plane flying over,” stated Daniel.

The Fresh Preps practice in the Stephens’

home in Mililani. “We’ve been super

grateful to our neighbors because they

never complain about us,” said Joshua.

When “Don’t Ask Me Why” came out, they

held a release party in their cul-de-sac

and invited the neighborhood. Sharing the

stage with their friends, Crimson Apple,

Amanda Frazier and the Ron Artis Band.

The three bands rocked out together in

their own town.

There’s a lot of influence being apart of a

band. You can change someone’s mood

or you could brighten up his or her day.

“More importantly you can make a positive

influence because we all believe in Jesus

and we want to spread the gospel and our

faith,” stated Joshua. “It’s a really good

outlet to do that because we’re in front of

so many people. We have influence. We

feel the band is a very positive way to do

that and still do what we love. Which is

writing music together.”

“The Way It Should Be” is a song written

by Aaron who looked at everything in life

having purpose. The song lyric the more

we grow, the more we die through this he

“realized this is the truth, the more grow in

life, the more you experience, the closer

you are to death,” said Aaron.

“There are things you have to leave behind.

All of us have sacrificed di"erent things in

life for this band. Friendships you have to

leave behind. It’s kind of a bittersweet kind

of song,” mentioned Daniel.

The Fresh Preps continue to write music

and perform at gigs and on the streets of

Waikiki. Freshly prepped with great tunes

and dressed up with a tie, you can expect

a great show.


"There’s a lot of influence being a part of a band. You can change someone’s mood or you could brighten up his or her day." H N L

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“There are things you have to leave behind. All of us have sacrificed different things in life for this band."


You can follow them on Twitter and Instagram @TheFreshPreps and

like their page on Facebook as The Fresh Preps. Purchase their

music at thefreshpreps.com; for booking, contact Joshua Stephens

at [email protected].

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HNLFLOW.COM

Download their single here

"Fresh" up your playlist

But First,

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WORDS REINALYN MACARAEG PHOTOS+VIDEO VINA CRISTOBAL

SCARLET CORD

Five friends. One talented group. Together, they make up Scarlet Cord.

The members of Scarlet Cord - David Nakanishi, Reese Kato,

Evan Arashiro, Josh Namba and Preston Kauwe – met when they

were students from Hawaii Baptist Academy (HBA) in Nu’uanu.

Although the band was a fun side project at first, the five friends

decided to take it much more seriously by turning themselves

into a full-fledged band.

Preston leads the band with killer vocals similar to Patrick Stump

of Fall Out Boy and Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars. Josh,

a senior at HBA and the youngest of the group, plays alongside

Preston on guitar. David, a junior at UH Manoa, also plays guitar

and sings backup. Reese, another UHM junior, brings the bass

to the group. Finally, at the back and center is drummer Evan, a

Honolulu Community College student.

H N LF L O W. C O M

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HOW DID YOU GUYS COME UP WITH YOUR BAND NAME?

REINA:


Preston:It’s a Biblical reference from the Book of Joshua, Chapter 2. There’s a backstory behind that. In that story in the Bible, God’s people were going to raid this land and take over. But they had to send spies over to survey it so that they know what they didn’t want to keep. So they met this one girl named Rahab and the

spies went into her house. Long story short, she said to hang the “scarlet cord” over her house so that’s something they don’t have to destroy.

H N LF L O W. C O M

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How did you guys meet and what

made you decide to

play together?

Preston: We all started o" at the music

ministry at our church. Since we all got

along and shared a passion for music, we

decided to play together.

Since everyone of you aren’t in

similar grade levels, how did you

guys figure out when to play?

Preston: We look at weekday nights and

we make sure that it doesn’t interfere with

Evan and Josh’s studies.

Is it music over studies?

David: Definitely music over studies, but

school is still important.

What are your songs generally

about?

Scarlet Cord: Girls.

Preston: Not like it’s like one girl for every

song, but I guess one girl for each one of us.

Evan: We write about our experiences with

girls who break our hearts.

What are your plans for the future?

David: I work with a non-profit right now,

but hopefully I can enter this program that

will allow me to teach in Japan. That’s the

goal. But music is definitely first.

Reese: I’m going to UH to study art, so one

of my current passions is photography –

and also videography. So hoping to do

something mainly with that, and create a

small source of income.

Josh: I’m going to try to go to school in the

mainland, probably in Southern California.

My plan is just to go to college and see

what happens.

Preston: If this all works out, which we hope

it does, [we plan to] move to the mainland

and make music our livelihood. This isn’t

our only option to make music or income.

But it is definitely the first option!

What would you like to say to the

people who have been supporting

your ambition?

Reese: Thanks Mom!

Preston: We couldn’t have made it if it was

purely ourselves. Thank you for all the support.

Evan: Thank you for sticking with us and for the

encouragement. Also, thank you to my parents

for letting me focus on music over school.

Scarlet Cord hit it o" with their first EP

release on September 27th at Hawaiian

Brian’s. In the meantime, you can check out

their music on Soundcloud and YouTube.

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WORDS SAGE BATTAD PHOTOS SAGE BATTAD / @DIETCOKEDEALER

art

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H N LF L O W. C O M

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G E L L I E C A B U Y A D A O

A canvas, paintbrushes, paint, and some inspiration.

That’s Gellie Cabuyadao’s tools for creating her artwork.

Gellie, a Moanalua High School senior, had pursued art at a very

young age from the help of her father whose own drawings

influenced her.

“[I thought], ‘Wow, this is pretty nice’,” she said. “I would copy

him, or like the stu" that he does, and then later on I decided to

develop my own type of style.”

Majority of her artwork is put together at either home or at

school. Her main style is painting and drawing with a pencil.

Her artwork ranges from natural and realistic, to dark and

distorted pieces.

Extremely talented young artist, Gellie Cabuyadao looks to make waves and express her ideas through her different styles of her craft.


H N LF L O W. C O M

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This looks familiar. It’s a replication of UK artist D*Face’s Pow Wow 2015 mural, which can be found in Kalihi.


“You know when you’re just by yourself and there’s

these memories that you don’t want but they just come

out of the blue anyway?” Gellie said. “That’s like waves.

So that’s why I made tidal waves coming in through the

door. It’s just basically her living room and just waves are

crashing in. You know how stressful they are - just like

memories. And it’s just hitting her, and as the viewer and

the audience, we’re just seeing that destructiveness in

her mind or her perspective. Like in reality we would

just see a girl sitting down but you don’t know that

something is destructive in her mind or something’s

hitting her real hard.”

Gellie states that her girlfriend is the one to thank

for giving her inspiration for her artwork.

“Just looking at her face and her details makes me think,

‘Wow, it’s so beautiful,’ and I start to see the world and

their details and how it’s beautiful. It just makes me want

to paint it. If it’s something so beautiful I want to make

that in my own perspective on how it looks so beautiful.”

H N LF L O W. C O M

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Gellie plans to put aside showcasing her art for a little while as she plans to

improve her craft. She understands how di#cult it is for an up-and-coming artist to

be known, especially one at a young age.

“What makes you think that you out of everybody else is gonna make

it to the top?

I think that as long as I pursue, or anybody else, they can do it, as long as you

pursue it and know what you want to do. You know how those cliché quotes like,

‘Do what you want to do?’ It’s actually true. You will get what you want as long as

you work for it and that you have the motive to do it. So that’s what I’m aiming for.

And I’ll get there someday. Just working towards little by little with each piece.”


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S P E A K I N G

O U T O N

E D U C A T I O N

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School has always been an institute to prepare

you for what’s next, whether it be college, the

working force or the military.

For Malia Derden, being in school made her eager

to get involved with her community. Constantly

finding ways where she can make a di"erence for

organizations working toward a bigger goal. As an

award winning black Filipino spoken word artist,

advocate for the LGBTQ community and growing

up in a dominantly Filipino community, Malia tells

us how she grew as a person during her time as a

graduate of Farrington High School.

How has poetry helped you identify

yourself?

Who you are as a person, your culture, your city

and your [ethnicity], a lot of that is portrayed in

your art. Me being half black, half Filipino has

really formatted the way that I speak and the

things I decide to say. That’s really important to

me because I’m able to identify with a group that’s

not necessarily always privileged. I carry a lot of

that in my writing.

Poetry really forced me to open my mind and be

more liberal and open to di"erent sides. I’ve been

exposed to a lot of people and was able to see

the di"erences. Growing up I was really proud to

be Filipino because I grew up in a neighborhood

that’s mostly Filipinos [Kalihi]. I took more pride in

that than I would black because there was no black

people. I didn’t know what it meant to be black. It

was through poetry that I really got in touch with

my African American side while still being proud

of being Filipino. That’s a thing that happens when

you’re mixed - you don’t have to choose.

What was it like to be a student and an

upcoming spoken word artist?

The “success” was to do well and get into college.

I saw a lot of kids, whose parents are immigrants,

do well and was able to go to school. I also saw

a lot of kids who weren’t able to do school. This

made me realize that there is a lot of shit that

happens to kids that can make or break them.

My mother’s stroke changed everything for

me. I wouldn’t say I’m broken, I would actually

say in that past year, of not being in school

I’ve really grown up. Going to school was

forced to me. Without my choice, I had to grow

and I had to do things that weren’t taught

in school and I think that’s success for me.

M A L I A D E R D E NMalia Derden is an award winning Black Filipino spoken word artist, who seeks to express her thoughts to the world.

WORDS RAELYN BATACAN PHOTOS JENNY PALERACIO + @MALIAS_AFRO VIDEO ASHLEY GUZMAN

H N LF L O W. C O M

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Tell me about your poem, “Mom.”

We have this thing where in poetry, they say,

“Write that poem”. What they mean by that is when

you’re a poet or an artist, there are things that are

relevant in your life that you can’t pretend is not

happening and you write it out. Essentially your

art is an outlet, your art is a way to let it out. This

poem was a “Write this poem” moment. My mother

is the only person I know in my family. It forced me

to grow up a lot faster than I would have liked. It

was just one of those poems where if I didn’t write

it I don’t think I would have healed the way I have

or the way that I am.

What motivates you to write all of these

poems?

I remember I saw this one thing on Tumblr. I guess it

was just an artist that does like paintings, something

really bad happened in his life and he was like,

“That’s why it’s called painting because it’s painful!”

You know painting, because the pain. I think that

poetry is all of that. Not just pain, but it’s all emotion.

I feel it’s all relevance it’s experience. It’s real shit.

"You can’t write heart without the art."

Exactly. “Dear Malia” was my first ever, real

poem. That was before I got into poetry, activism,

culture and stu". It was a real moment of self-

discovery. That poem won the “Can You Kick It”

Award of that slam. Which was pretty awesome

and I believe our team came in first place that

year. It was the Interscholastic Poetry Slam

where all the high schools compete and it was

my first competition. I won with that poem.

"Your art is an outlet, your art is a way to let it out."


Did winning kick-start your poetry?

I think it really put me on the radar, for sure.

That was gosh, it was so long ago.

Can you recall the feeling?

I remember going home and being in my

bedroom, waving my trophy around like I was

on a stage bowing in front of everybody when

really, I was in my room. I remember that.

Telling your story to an audience must

perform your pieces?

Youth Speaks Hawai‘i has their Second

Saturday Poetry Slam every month. At one

point it would be the same people attending

the event and I remember talking to my coach

saying I didn’t want to do my poem anymore

because everyone knew what I was saying.

She basically told me, “Whatever you are,

whatever stage you’re performing on, always

know there’s at least one person who doesn’t

know who you are, what you do or where

you come from and it’s important that one

person knows. So every time someone does a

performance, no matter how big the audience,

no matter how small, you got to know there’s

that one person who needs to hear your story”.

I try to keep that attitude of how many times

I’ve done this poem, no matter how old it is.

There’s always that one person who doesn’t

know and that could or might as well need

it. When you believe in what you’re saying

and you know what you’re saying is really

important, it deserves to be on stage. That’s

when you really put your heart in it. H N LF L O W. C O M

47

What are you an advocate for?

Well, when in I was in high school, I was

the president of the Spoken Word Club,

I was in GSA, Peace and Justice Club

and interned for Hawai‘i Women in Film

Making. I was in GSA for as long as I

was in poetry, 4 years, and I learned

so much in the LGBT community as a

straight ally and that too would reflect

in my writing.

How has being in these

time in school?

I have vivid memories of sitting in class

and staring out the door, wishing I were

somewhere else. Like I would sit in class

and I would wish that I could be doing

something else. I really blossomed outside

of school being out in the community, doing

work. That’s where my head was. All of

these clubs and being apart of these

communities where people are so open

and are accepting, you feel like you’re

working to this bigger goal. That’s what

really gets me. I don’t want to learn no

algebra. I think a lot of my community

work, extends from a lack of excitement

in school. I would find people that

were awesome. I grew up with a single

mother who was always working and

paying the bills. I didn’t grow up with a

lot of people who thought di"erently…

and that was fascinating. It was just

captivating to me to meet these people.

Tell me about all the

competitions you won.

Pacific Tongues have their annual slams.

The Interscholastic School Slam and

there’s the Second Saturday Poetry

Slam, which leads to their Grand Slam.

Grand Slam has 12 poets compete for

a spot on the team that will fly to the

mainland and represent Hawaii at an

international competition called Brave

New Voices.

We’re trying to start our own thing here

for our culture and us. We’re even

changing how our school slams works.

It’s going to be more, how do you say,

family centered. We’re still planning

it out but our idea is that it’s not really

a competition, but a festival for them

to work, grow and learn in their art.

They’re going to be doing workshops,

slams and even have mentors.48H N LF L O W. C O M

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Are you working on anything new?

Yeah. I want to support di"erent thing. I want to

write a poem about black girls. But I also want

to write a poem about health care. I also want

to write a poem about being young and poor.

What’s your favorite piece to perform

and why?

I don’t know. It’s funny because you were like

I watched all your videos and I don’t like to

listen to my poetry. One of my favorite pieces

to perform is the one I’m gonna perform today

- for obvious reasons - because I like it. It’s

called “Filipinos in Education”. I think that’s

my favorite because it’s something I’ve been

thinking about a lot and it’s my reality and my

relationship with education. I think that school

is not necessarily an institute that is formed

for everybody. That everyone is forced to. I

think that peoples’ way of thinking, our ideas

toward what education is and what it means to

be smart, what it is to know thing is so messed

up because I know a lot of smart people who

don’t necessarily have degrees and I think

about that a lot.

H N LF L O W. C O M

49

HNLFLOW.COM

T H E B L O G H N L F L O W . W O R D P R E S S . C O M

Take a stroll along the various streets of

Downtown, and you’ll find that the area

is one of Honolulu’s most treasured

gems. With just the right balance of

past and present, Downtown Honolulu

brings a sense of nostalgia to older

generations and a sense of wanderlust

to its newer, younger inhabitants.

By night, vibrance fills the heart of

Honolulu with people, music and

bright lights that could attract a crowd

from miles away. By day, Downtown

Honolulu serves as an unbeknownst

history lesson, with crippled and majestic

buildings acting as the tour guides.

“I’m a fan of buildings, and signs with

vintage fonts,” Stephanie of Honolulu

Peekaboo says. But she told us that

she would not include a caption for

every photo, as she wants readers to

feel the livelihood of old Downtown

Honolulu in her photos.

READ MORE

WORDS + PHOTOS @HONOLULUPEEKABOO

hn

lflo

w.w

ord

pre

ss

.co

m


H O N O L U L U P E E K A B O O

M A K E R S & T A S T E R S

B R O K E M O K E S

@ T E N E L E V E N B A R

In 2010, three local boys from Kaneohe broke

into the Hawaii Hip Hop scene simply as

supporters. By doing their homework, showing

love to those before them, jumping into cyphers

and meeting other rappers, Koins, Izzy I Am and

Dae1, collectively known as the Broke Mokes,

made their way respectfully as rappers in the

Hawaii hip-hop community.

Bringing together local vendors, artists,

entertainment and food trucks, Street

Grindz invites the community to be

their own mixologist with a Craft Your

Own Cocktail option at the Ten Eleven

bar at Makers & Tasters.

Utilizing an old crate to house the new

bar on the patio at Makers & Tasters,

they now o"er a limited selection of

liquor, wine and beer.

We’ve all heard of craft beers that

we can choose to be on our flights

at our favorite pub, but we can never

make up our minds when it comes to

cocktails. The Ten Eleven Bar not only

has their selection of wine and beer

that you can get in pitchers but for an

easy cost shared among friends, you

can Craft Your Own Cocktail (Yes I said

it, you can be your own mixologist)!

READ MORE

WORDS RAELYN BATACAN PHOTOS VINA CRISTOBAL VIDEO REESE KATO

WORDS RAELYN BATACAN PHOTOS VINA CRISTOBAL

H N LF L O W. C O M

51

HNLFLOW.COM

READ MORE


Flow Fam

The readers of HNL Flow

Friends and family of HNL Flow sta"

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Hogan Entrepreneurs Program

UH Manoa

Hawaii Pacific University

Street Grindz

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I.A.

About the Goods

Bao Boys,

Honolulu Peekaboo

Urban Bistro

HiDose

Chris Isono

H N LF L O W. C O M

53

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N O VE M B E R 20 2

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Documents

ISSUE 7 // STARTISTS [FALL 2015]