Written between 1989 and 2008, the poems in Kevin Powell s powerful new collection encompass everything from his early role as a renowned slam poet (and original cast member of MTV s Real World) to his current incarnation as a poet operating away from the scene. Within this rich tapestry of musings, confession, and introspection, Powell weaves issues like racism, black self-hatred, and gender violence with his own anguished revelations about sex, love, and misogyny. Sampling from the personal and the political, Powell reshapes them into a provocative soundtrack for the times."

Author and activist Kevin Powell and contributors Lasana Omar Hotep, Jeff Johnson, Byron Hurt, Dr. William Jelani Cobb, Ryan Mack, Kendrick B. Nathaniel, and Dr. Andre L. Brown tap into the social and political climate rising in the African American community with this collection of essays for Black males on surviving, living, and winning.

The Black Male Handbook answers a collective hunger for new direction, fresh solutions to old problems, and a different kind of conversation--man-to-man and with Black male voices, all of the hip hop generation. The book tackles issues related to...

In the spirit of Piri Thomas's Down These Mean Streets and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, writer and activist Kevin Powell's memoir--"illuminating...an education for us all" (USA Today)--vividly recounts the horrific poverty of his youth and his struggles to overcome a legacy of anger, violence, and self-hatred.

When Kevin Powell was three, he discovered the volatile nature of his world: a place of pain, poverty, violence, fire, rats, roaches, and a fear that would haunt him for years; but also moments of joy, transcendence, and belonging. By the time...