Hanif Abdurraqib
ABOUT the author
Hanif Abdurraqib — a 2021 MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Recipient — is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published in Muzzle, Vinyl, PEN American, and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. His first full length poetry collection, The Crown Ain't Worth Much, was released in June 2016 from Button Poetry. It was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. With Big Lucks, he released a limited edition chapbook, Vintage Sadness, in summer 2017. His first collection of essays, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, CBC, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork, and The Chicago Tribune, among others. He released Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest with University of Texas press in February 2019. The book became a New York Times Bestseller, was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. His second collection of poems, A Fortune For Your Disaster, was released in 2019 by Tin House, and won the 2020 Lenore Marshall Prize. A Little Devil In America was released in 2021 and was shortlisted for the National Book Award. He is a graduate of Beechcroft High School.
Find out more about the author here: abdurraqib.com
Twitter: @NifMuhammad
Instagram: @nifmuhammad
To inquire about an interview with Hanif Abdurraqib, please visit the BEOTIS "INTERVIEWS & PRESS INQUIRY" form here: beotis.com/press
Available from Two Dollar Radio
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
"As powerful and touching as anything I’ve read this year, and Hanif Abdurraqib has emerged as the Ta-Nehisi Coates of popular culture. Pick any piece from They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. I promise you — it will sting. Like all great art."
—James Mann, The Big Takeover
Interviews
Listen:
Late Night Library interview with Hanif Abdurraqib | 3/22/2016
Hear Hanif Abdurraqib discuss his book of poetry The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, the poetry scene in the Midwest, and much much more.
The Poetry Gods Podcast interview with Hanif Abdurraqib | 3/28/2016
On this episode of The Poetry Gods, they talk to poet, essayist, and relentless Ohioan Hanif Abdurraqib aboutThe Revenant and why one would go on a date to go see The Passion Of The Christ, amongst other topics.
cbcradio's q podcast, hosted by Tom Power interview with Hanif Abdurraqib | 11/21/2017
In his new book of essays, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, Abdurraqib writes about how music can link us together, how it can be a bright spot when you don't know where to turn, but also how being a fan and loving an artist can come with some complicated feelings. Abdurraqib joins Tom Power on today's show to discuss his new book.
Word Carver podcast interview with Hanif Abdurraqib | 12/1/2017
Columbus native Hanif Abdurraqib talks about the themes running through his latest book, a collection of essays called They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. Speaking with Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi, the two compare themes emerging in the essays with Abdurraquib’s previous volume of poetry The Crown Ain’t Worth Much.
Read:
The Los Angeles Review of Books interview with Hanif Abdurraqib | 4/12/2018
David Breithaupt spoke with author Hanif Abdurraqib about his debut collection of essays, the experience of being on a book tour, the power of music, life in Columbus, advice for looking toward the future with more pessimism than optimism, and more.
Q&A with Hanif Abdurraqib | 2/6/2017
We talk with Hanif Abdurraqib about his forthcoming collection They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, his eclectic taste in music, hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and our politically charged times.
Electric Literature interview with Hanif Abdurraqib | 11/26/2017
Tobias Carroll in Electric Literature: "In the waning days of summer, I talked with Abdurraqib about the way his book came together, how it relates to his work as a poet, and how the powerful and cumulative structure of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us emerged."
Foreword Magazine interviews Hanif Abdurraqib | 11/16/2017
Jon Arlan speaks with Hanif Abdurraqib about how the essays in They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us fit together for him, the first time he felt moved by something musical, his influences as a music critic, and more.
Cincinnati Magazine interviews Hanif Abdurraqib | 11/2017
Caitlin Cruz, for Cincinnati Magazine, spoke with author Abdurraqib on how he feels about the Midwest and Ohio, growing up loving music that people told him was too stupid or too pop-y or too emo, and more.
Fanzine interviews Hanif Abdurraqib | 11/13/17
Jaime Fountaine speaks with Hanif Abdurraqib about his book They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, elementary school music lessons, and Lester Bangs.
Pank Magazine interviews Hanif Abdurraqib | 12/8/2017
The Personal, the Political, and the Musical: An Interview with Hanif Abdurraqib on They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, by Mandy Shunnarah.
Watch:
Hanif Abdurraqib, 2015, performing the title poem from his book The Crown Ain't Worth Much (Button Poetry):
