Kevin Powell Announces New Book: ‘A Poem for Evangeline, And Other Songs’

(Los Angeles—FEBRUARY 2026)—Kevin Powell, GRAMMY-nominated poet, humanitarian, and filmmaker, announces the release of his 17th book, A Poem for Evangeline, And Other Songs. Powell just revealed the book cover for his 4th poetry collection during a live interview on Karren Hunter’s Knarrative and Knubia (community.knarrative.com) platforms, global destinations for authors, producers, and creatives seeking meaningful engagement with a prepared audience. The book will be released IN APRIL via Get Fresh Books Publishing, founded by award-winning writer Roberto Carlos Garcia. 

The short film is directed by Justin Herman and Kevin Powell, and animated by Justin Herman. They also collaborated on Kevin’s first doc film as director, When We Free The World.

With A Poem for Evangeline, And Other Songs, Powell further cements his legacy as one of the most celebrated political, cultural, literary, and Hip-Hop voices in America. This collectionis a series of tender and skillfully constructed love letters to his wife. But it is also a sensitive and sacred poetic manifesto for humanity, for America. Be it hate or violence in all forms, mental health, family, history, childhood traumas, the meaning of manhood, or his profound longing for peace, Powell channels forebears like Lucille Clifton, like Federico Garcia Lorca, like the purple cadences and skylight hues of his kinfolk. The result is a poetry book for our times, but also for the times not yet imagined.

Says Kevin: “Writing and performing poetry is one of the greatest passions of my entire life, and I am so happy to be back to it, in spite of these very heavy times. Indeed, it is especially because of this moment in history that I am so clear we need poets, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, artists of all kinds, to be truth-tellers, to be witnesses, to be the voices we need to hear. So this poetry collection is my offer to those trying to maintain, trying to figure things out.”

Powell’s 2023 album Grocery Shopping With My Mother, based on his poetry book of the same name, was nominated for the 2024 GRAMMY for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.