For a man in his early twenties, Kondwani is incredibly driven. Before the age of 25 he’s traveled around the nation giving lectures and performing spoken word pieces at various schools, and when he has the time, subs at City College, his alma mater. A graduate of Virginia State University, Kondwani grew up in East Baltimore and channeled the restless energy of inner city youth into his words and writing. I sat down with him to talk about his work, the good and bad of attending an HBCU, and how despite being proud of his debut (and self published) book of poems “Asperous Artistry”, it’s not indicative of the 2016 Kondwani Fidel. Check him out at kondwanifidel.com, or find him on social media: @kondwanifidel.