Young Chicago poet gives voice to his community
CHICAGO -- Malcolm London is a poet in a part of Chicago that does not usually inspire verse. He lives in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.
"Can I say that a lot of times I was afraid I wouldn't make it home?" he asks. "Every day."
London started writing poems in 2009
"The idea that poetry is only for dead, old, white dudes who lived in the 1600s, right, but it's not," London says. "So for me, the stage was a place for me to have my voice heard."
More people are starting to listen. Nowadays, you can find him performing for national audiences, or emceeing a poetry competition called Louder Than a Bomb. It's the largest competition in the country.
"I would say Malcolm is one of the most important voices in Chicago," says Kevin Coval, the festival's founder and London's mentor. "He's seen the whole city for what it is. He's angry, but his anger is directed. It's righteous."
Coval says poetry lets London channel that anger "in positive directions."
London also takes his message to public school classrooms, trying to convince inner city kids they have a voice, too.
For this 20-year-old poet, the pen may well be mightier than the sword.