Kevin Coval’s poetry is anything but ordinary. His work, fearless in its honesty and depiction of “post-racial” American culture, has been praised by legends like Studs Terkel and Mos Def. A four-time HBO Def Poet and ALA “Book of the Year” finalist, Coval will read and present his new book L-vis Lives! Racemusic Poems in a special one man show multimedia setting at Metro on Wednesday September 14. DJ Itch13 will also spin, and Coval will sign books and meet with attendees afterwards.

A sneak peak of his live canter, matched with beats by Coolout Chris, can be heard here.

Kevin Coval is author of the forthcoming, L-vis Lives!, as well as Everyday People and Slingshots (A Hip-Hop Poetica), named a Book of the Year finalist by the American Library Association. Coval has been called “the voice of the new Chicago” by Rick Kogan of The Chicago Tribune and is one of the most widely read poets in the country. He has performed in seven countries on four continents, toured the country, appeared on four seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and is Co-Founder of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, the largest youth poetry festival in the world, which is the subject of the award-winning documentary by the same name. Coval is the Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors and teaches at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago.