Samson and Serena are both alumni of the Brave New Voices international youth spoken word competition and hail from Hawai'i. We are lucky enough to have them in Wellington for our July event.
Samson Tafolo is a 23 year old writer from Hawaii. He was a part of the 2012 Brave New Voices team that competed in L.A. alongside Denver and other dope teams from around the world. He is currently hosting monthly slams around Honolulu and coordinating weekly open mics as well as working on several musical projects he's hoping will come to fruition this year.
Serena Ngaio Simmons is a writer of Maori and Pakeha descent born and raised on the island of O’ahu and is currently an undergraduate in the English department at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Serena is a former member of the 2011 and 2012 Youth Speaks Hawai’i slam teams that competed at the Brave New Voices international youth spoken word competition and has had her poems published in Blackmail Press, Hawai’i Review, and Lit Hub.
