Kevin Coval is many amazing things: a teacher, a writer, a poet, an organizer, a mentor, one who inspires many, and an individual I'm proud to call my friend.
When Kevin and I first met, nearly a decade ago, I had no idea how much we'd work together over the ensuing years or how much he'd pull me into this world of poetry – and slam poetry at that. To say I've been sucked in feels like an understatement this time of year as Young Chicago Authors' Louder Than a Bomb comes knocking & young writers from all across this city come together to perform their poetry. Kevin Coval is the Artistic Director and co-Founder of this amazing feat, and for the past six years I have been recording the competition Finalists here at WBEZ and distributing their work (literally) around the world. I am honored and humbled by the presence of these 15, 16, 17-year old men and women who have eloquently woven their life experiences, opinions, hopes, fears, and uncertainties into public works of art. We have so much to gain from simply listening to their stories. Listen here to some of the remarkable pieces that have been captured over the years.
But Louder Than a Bomb is about more than poetry. It's about the basic notion of creating and sustaining a community. The Festival's Director, Robbie Q. Telfer, wrote this AMAZING piece for TimeOut Chicago last week, where he writes: "as mentors we try to... improve literacy, aesthetic thinking, empathy, but also to arm them with critical thought and poise for when they will inevitably be exploited. Exploitation in Chicago is inescapable..."
Chicago is a lot of things, but what makes it my home and the place I want to continue to build into the city my young sons will be proud to call home is the people who have put their stake in the ground and decided to make something good here. To hold up our collective faults and strive to find better solutions. To own this town.
So back to Kevin. In his 2005 book "Slingshots: A Hop-Hop Poetica" he included this piece - 'love letter to Chi' which was recorded for audio inclusion in the book (heard over a beat courtesy of Cool Out). With Kevin's permission, I've posted it here for your listening pleasure.
"Roaming the streets with pen and paper... recording the everyday moments of everyday people..."
I encourage you to join us at the 2011 Louder Than a Bomb Youth Poetry Festival.
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Phenomenal Martha Jean
4 years 50 weeks ago
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FreshSqueezed Poetry!
4 years 49 weeks ago
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Fresh Squeezed Poetry
4 years 48 weeks ago
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just some images in my head
4 years 47 weeks ago