Kevin Coval

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33 years old // Poet, author, professor, and cofounder of the teen poetry festival Louder Than a Bomb // Raised in Northbrook; lives in Ukrainian Village 

I get up at 7:23 in the morning and I write. I attribute everything I've done to that time. I've been building my whole life around 7:23. // My childhood was not what we imagine life in the suburbs to be. My folks got divorced when I was seven, and we moved nine times because we were running from landlords and debt collectors. My mom was just trying to keep us in the school system. // I go out to suburban high schools, and the kids say they don't have any stories to tell. I'm like, "Really? Actually, you do." My hope is that they become comfortable with the everyday stories of their lives and understand that, in those, there is meaning and history. // I do my little bits in between my stories and anecdotes. * I'm a little like the Woody Allen of hip-hop and poetry. // Dating a poet could be a good gig. Poets are attentive. And it doesn't get more romantic than a poet, does it? 

* When performing onstage, including repeat gigs on Russell Simmons's Def Poetry on HBO

 

Green chair from Orange Skin, 223 W. Erie St., Suite 1 NW, Chicago, IL 60610, orangeskin.com; Crow from Phroggart Studios

 
 

Comments are moderated. We review them in an effort to remove offensive language, commercial messages, and irrelevancies.

Reader Comments:
Old to new | New to old
Jun 26, 2008 01:06 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

he's got a girlfriend too! why did chicago magazine define single as not married? i know of at least 3 on the list in long term relationships.

Jun 26, 2008 07:45 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

he choose to be listed as single.. to participate. sure the event is for cancer but it looks like ego is his real "cause".

Jul 2, 2008 03:31 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

He chose to participate in the event FOR CHARITY. This so-called "ego" you say he has, does not exist. Kevin Coval is sincere and the real deal.

Jul 13, 2008 11:16 am
 Posted by  anon3

While he IS incredibly talented and gives a lot to the community as a general rule, labeling himself as "single" is very much about his ego. trust me...

Jul 20, 2008 08:53 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

he's like the opposite of that fiiiiiiiiine doctor, right?

Aug 1, 2008 02:26 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

I know Kevin Coval, and if you've seen him anytime someone mentions him being Chicago's most eligible bachelor, he turns bright red. He's more down to earth than any other suburbanite you'll ever meet. Don't talk shit if you don't know what you're talking about.

Aug 30, 2008 05:34 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

Hmmm...that's odd! I remember seeing not-so-shining comments written about him on this page between the July 20th and August 1st comments, and now they're gone. Why, someone's ego must have been bruised....sucks to hear the truth, huh?

And to the person who wrote the August 1st comment, I know what him and what I'm talking about, so I can talk all the shit I want. You can step off. And wait till he screws you over too.

Oct 22, 2008 07:52 am
 Posted by  illuminatemics

You all need to get off my man K.Coval's jock. The work he does in the city with youth and marginalized folks is so important. More important than a lot of the work the other people on this list do and far more giving of himself on a personal level. He also has a book that just dropped. Who gives a damn about being single or whatever, this article was good pub for Coval. Any guy who seriously wanted to get play by placing themselves on a Chicago most eligible bachelor's list has far more issues than a writer spreading good work and hustling to get his message out. Stand down haters.

Dec 6, 2008 11:29 am
 Posted by  Anonymous

i think the point was not just about giving "a damn about being single or whatever". it was that this guy, who does do good work, is also a mess when it comes to relationships and how he's treated women he's been with. he's all about honest dialogue so here was an opportunity for some of those people to be honest about how they feel about him and his whack ass ego. haters should stand down. but, unfortunately i don't think the people who posted here were haters... they were just speaking the truth about their experience and about the fact that, like all people, kevin has done some lame things. if what he did to girl was shitty, then she gets to talk shit.

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