"Powell says he leaves it to others to decide what of his work is valuable, The Kevin Powell Reader in itself is a testament to so many who have changed the landscape of our culture and created pathways for future generations to continue the journey, in which he himself is included. ‘Back in the 1990s, I was as young as the folks I was documenting, be it Dave Chappelle, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill or Erykah Badu,’ he says. ‘It was all happening really hard and fast, and I did not fully appreciate what was being documented until many years later. I feel very lucky to have seen so much, and to still be here and to have captured so much with words.’"
Powell says he leaves it to others to decide what of his work is valuable, The Kevin Powell Reader in itself is a testament to so many who have changed the landscape of our culture and created pathways for future generations to continue the journey, in which he himself is included. ‘Back in the 1990s, I was as young as the folks I was documenting, be it Dave Chappelle, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill or Erykah Badu,’ he says. ‘It was all happening really hard and fast, and I did not fully appreciate what was being documented until many years later. I feel very lucky to have seen so much, and to still be here and to have captured so much with words.’”
—Ebony
“This latest read is a collection of essays, interviews, blog posts, poems and more from the past few decades of his writing career. The book, which was released on Apr. 4 from Akashic Books, also includes Powell’s account of the COVID pandemic and George Floyd’s untimely death and the following protests.”
—Dallas Weekly
“Here is a book to read and a writer to watch. Obviously Kevin Powell has the talent to see and the courage to say. He truly keeps it real.”
—Maya Angelou on Keeping It Real
“A raw, deeply painful accounting of a life born of poverty, racism, abandonment, abuse, and complicated love . . . Powerful, brave, and unforgettable.” —V (formerly Eve Ensler) on The Education of Kevin Powell
“Kevin Powell is pushing to bring, as he has so brilliantly done before, the voices of his generation: the concerns, the cares, the fears, and the fearlessness.”
—Nikki Giovanni on Step Into a World
“Poignant and transformative. This story of Black male life in our patriarchal culture, from boyhood to manhood, is raw and passionate. It offers a true and honest portrait of all that Black males endure to survive and, more importantly, to cope with trauma, and to heal and thrive.”
—bell hooks on The Education of Kevin Powell
“As a charismatic speaker, leader, and a very good writer, Kevin Powell has the courage . . . to be fully human, and this will bring the deepest revolution of all.”
—Gloria Steinem on Someday We’ll All Be Free
