About
Keolanani (Keola) Kinghorn
Writer, scholar, teacher, and founder of Rhetorical Review.
Originally from the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, Keola spent years in the theatre world as an actor, director, and music director before turning to criticism in 2022. She is pursuing a PhD in Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Utah, where she studies how stories, power, and performance intersect. She holds a BA in English and Music from BYU–Hawaiʻi and an MA in English Literature, with a Graduate Certificate in Rhetoric and Writing Studies, from Weber State University.
Why Rhetorical Review
When she launched Rhetorical Review, the goal was direct: take seriously the artists who don’t always get the attention they deserve. Not quick takes, but real engagement. Through reviews, interviews, spotlights, features, land accountability work, and coverage of non-profit arts organizations across theatre, film, music, and dance, she holds space for what a performance is doing and who it’s for, with a particular focus on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) artists whose perspectives are too often overlooked or flattened.
Research
Her academic writing has appeared in Shakespeare Bulletin and the RMMRA journal Quidditas, with work forthcoming in Writers: Craft and Context. Her dissertation centers on Indigenous methodologies, stories, memories, and archives, grounded in decolonial theory and a commitment to challenging dominant narratives around race, gender, and performance.
Recent writing
