Poet and spoken-word artist Sekou Sundiata will be speaking as part of the ICA's "What New Is" series on Wednesday, April 18, at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available online on icaboston.org.

When you read his biography and hear his work, you realize that Sekou Sundiata has done everything and writes about everything. He's a big player in multimedia art, which makes him a perfect fit to speak as part of the ICA's "What New Is" series.

Sundiata's life and work seem to be inseparable. He's shared his experiences as a kidney transplant survivor, and he has researched Americans' reactions to life after 9/11 for his latest show, the 51st (dream) state.

Sundiata is known for his performances about life as an African American, but, if you listen to his work, you get the sense that he is absorbing everything around him. Then, once he's absorbed all he can, all that knowledge tumbles out for the listener.

As a spoken-word artist, he will also provide an interesting contrast to Patti Smith, whose performance at the ICA was more about short performances and questions about her life. While it was a great show, she didn't talk as much about the artistic process as we expected, so perhaps Sundiata will reveal how he finds out "What New Is."

Image of Sekou Sundiata taken by Monique Delatour.