Oakton’s Chicago Writers Series Features Kevin Coval Nov. 14

Northbrook native and Glenbrook North High School alumnus Kevin Coval will read selections from his collection of poetry 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Oakton Community College’s Student Center (Room 1530), 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines. Admission to this Chicago Writers Series event is free and open to the public.

An award-winning poet, Coval is the author of “Everything Must Go: The Life and Death of an American Neighborhood.” A professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where he teaches hip-hop aesthetics, Coval also penned “A People’s History of Chicago.” Chance the Rapper expressed his gratitude to the poet in the book’s forward, writing, “Kevin Coval made me understand what it is to be a poet, what it is to be an artist, and what it is to serve the people.”

Coval is also the artistic director of the MacArthur Award-winning cultural organization, Young Chicago Authors, and founder of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, the world’s largest youth poetry celebration, now in over 19 cities throughout North America. He co-hosts the podcast “The Cornerstone” on WGN Radio.

“Kevin is a brilliant writer and activist whose work shows his passion, love and understanding for Chicago,” Tina Fakhrid-Deen, associate professor of English at Oakton, says. “People are drawn to his truth, sincerity, humility and strong storytelling abilities. He is truly a gem of the Windy City.”

For more information, contact Tina Fakhrid-Deen at tfakhrid@oakton.edu.