Kevin Coval
Current City, State, Country
Biography
Kevin Coval is a writer and organizer in Chicago, IL. He has cited early Hip-Hop icon KRS-One and midcentury comedian Lenny Bruce among his inspirations, signaling his performance-based, genre-defiant style. Coval frequented local Chicago stages prior to initial publication, sharing spoken-word material and collaborating with fellow artists. In 1991, Coval co-founded the Chicago-based “Louder Than A Bomb” youth poetry festival, noted for its prioritization of youth-voting and mentorship. The competition garnered national attention after its 2010 documentary adaptation, recent;y rebranding as the “Rooted & Radical” festival upon Coval’s organizational severance. Coval has edited a variety of anthologies, including The Breakbeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop (2015) and The End of Chiraq: A Literary Mixtape (2018). He frequently collaborates with artist Langston Allston and playwright Idris Goodwin. His writing is accessible through Haymarket Books.
What is the relationship between Judaism and/or Jewish culture and your poetry?
As explored in an article with South Side Weekly, “the poetics of identity–particularly, the unusual identity of someone influenced by both Jewish heritage and hip-hop culture–is a defining idea for Coval.” This observation is particularly evident in Coval’s book “Schtick,” contextualizing his Jewish upbringing and self-perception in a multicultural city. As Senior Advisor to Interfaith America, Coval has written that “Hip-Hop’s cultural practice gave him new agency and insight into his relationship with Judaism,” additionally informing his connection to Jewish culture in the creative process.
Published Works
Poetry
Everything Must Go: Life and Death of an American Neighborhood (Haymarket Books, 2019)
A People’s History of Chicago (Haymarket Books, 2017)
Schtick (Haymarket Books, 2013)
L-Vis Lives! RaceMusic Poems (Haymarket Books, 2011)
Everyday People (Haymarket Books, 2008)
Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica (Haymarket Books, 2002)
Edited Anthologies
The End of Chiraq: A Literary Mixtape (Haymarket Books, 2018)
The Breakbeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop (Haymarket Books, 2015)
Play
This is Modern Art, co-written with Idris Goodwin (Haymarket Books, 2018)
Links to Sample Works
Video Reading
Current Title
Education
Ohio University
DePaul University