DePaul University’s Office of Community Outreach, in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools Male Initiative Program, will host a talk by author and political activist Kevin Powell on Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. in the Student Center, 2250 N. Kenmore Ave.

His talk, “Redefining American Manhood: A Conversation with Kevin Powell,” is free and open to the public.

Powell, a former senior writer at Vibe magazine and an original cast member of MTV’s “The Real World,” has been called one of the most important voices in 21st century America.

The 41-year-old rose from poverty and a fatherless childhood in Jersey City, N. J. to become the author of seven books, a writing fellow for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and a Phelp Stokes Fund Senior Fellow. His latest book, “Someday We’ll All Be Free”(Soft Skull Press), is a collection of essays on freedom, democracy, justice and race in America and was inspired by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Powell, a graduate of Rutgers University, has written numerous articles, essays and reviews for Esquire, Newsweek, the Washington Post, Essence, Rolling Stone, Ebony and the Amsterdam News.