Poetry at Unity Temple Slams Injustice, Promotes Equality

Two of Chicago's brightest literary minds converged in Oak Park on Thursday, when Haki Madhubuti and Kevin Coval fused art and social activism through their critically-acclaimed poetry.

Madhubuti, 68, is an author and publisher with a long list of literary accomplishments, including establishing  Third World Press, among the first independent, African-American owned publishing companies.

Madhubuti talked with Patch before taking the stage and explained his upbringing as a poor black youth in Detroit. He said he found solace in the arts and became a staple at Detroit's public libraries, where he learned to escape the city's pervasive racial and socio-economic turmoil.

"Art saved my life in the form of literature and in the form of music," he said.

But it's poetry that's been a mainstay.

"Everything I've been able to do and accomplish is because of poetry," Madhubuti said. "It taught me how to go into different places and to recognize and respect different cultures."

At Thursday's community conversation, Madhubuti read three poems from his new book, "Liberation Narratives: Collected and New Poems (1966-2009)."

His poetry washed over an awed audience, setting the stage for his protégé Coval — who Madhubuti calls his "cultural son" — to follow.

Coval read from his various works, including "Sunrise," "The Crossover," "Self Hating Jew" and "How to Teach Poetry in Chicago Public Schools."

For some in the crowd, Coval's cadence might have been new. But for spoken word fans schooled in hip-hop, his delivery was a familiar spin.

Coval, 35, is the c0-founder of the popular Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB) teen poetry slam, which started in 2001 and has involved dozens of Chicago schools and community organizations.

The program, he said, evolved to combat racial-profiling of youth and provide teens with a positive program, one he thought would "embody the creative elements of the culture and brings kids together."

"The goal is to establish a statewide competition, sort of like the statewide basketball championships, accept students will cheer for the poets," he said.

Coval praised Madhubuti, saying he changed the way poetry "is conceived of, how it's written and who it's written for."

The mutual respect between these two artists resonated with their audience, and continues to captivate the attention of literary fans.

Thursday's event was sponsored by The Book Table, the Oak Park Public Library, and Friends of the Oak Park Public Library.