Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib

Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib

Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib
Born 1983
Columbus, Ohio
Occupation Poet, music critic
Nationality American
Subject Music, culture, identity
Notable works The Crown Ain't Worth Much
Website
www.abdurraqib.com/

Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib (born 1983) is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic. He is currently a columnist at MTV News, writing about music, culture, and identity.

Willis-Abdurraqib was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.[1] Columbus is also the setting for his first book, a poetry collection called The Crown Ain't Worth Much (Button Poetry, July 2016).[2] Publishers Weekly's review said, "When Willis-Abdurraqib meditates on the dangers of being young and black in America, the power of his poetry is undeniable,"[3] and the Indiana Review calls the collection "expansive and rich...compassionate, elegiac."[4] Fusion called his "poetry a crash course in emotional honesty."[5] Writing of the collection's titular poem, The Huffington Post said Willis-Abdurraqib's "chilling take on black death is heartbreakingly true."[6]

Willis-Abdurraqib's writing has also appeared in The Fader, The New York Times, and Pitchfork.[7] He has been a Pushcart Prize nominee and a Callaloo Creative Writing Fellow. PBS's Articulate with Jim Cotter describes Willis-Abdurraqib as "of a generation that is helping to redefine poetry"[8] and Blavity called him one of "13 Young Black Poets You Should Know."[9] The Huffington Post named his essay on Fetty Wap's song "Trap Queen" to its list of "The Most Important Writing From People of Color in 2015."[10] Discussing Willis-Abdurraqib's essay on the late Muhammed Ali as inspiration to a generation of hip-hop artists, critic Ned Raggett called the piece a "standout" among the many elegies.[11]

Willis-Abdurraqib is a poetry editor at Muzzle Magazine[12] and a founder, with Eve Ewing, of the Echo Hotel poetry collective. He edited an anthology of poems about pop music called Again I Wait For This To Pull Apart (FreezeRay Press 2015)[13] and is currently writing a poetry collection about the night Notorious B.I.G. died.[14]

He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Lam, Amy (April 28, 2016). "Writer Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib on Poetry & Punk Rock | Bitch Media". Bitch Magazine. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Roka, Les (21 June 2016). "Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2016: A closer look at some of the nationally known Literary Arts performers, poets, songwriters". The Utah Review. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: The Crown Ain't Worth Much by Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib. (SPD, dist.), $16 trade paper (120p) ISBN 978-1-94373-504-4". Publishers Weekly. June 20, 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Palomo, Willy (July 8, 2016). "Microreview: Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib's The Crown Ain't Worth Much". Indiana Review. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  5. ↑ McKinney, Kelsey (July 20, 2016). "Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib's poetry is a crash course in emotional honesty". Fusion. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Finley, Taryn (25 May 2016). "This Poet's Chilling Take On Black Death Is Heartbreakingly True". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Roka, Les (21 June 2016). "Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2016: Literary Arts venue - relevant, human, powerful, voluminous". The Utah Review. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Cotter, Jim (April 27, 2016). "Articulate on PBS | Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, Goldberg Variations, Krimes". PBS Articulate with Jim Cotter. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Mendoza, Genesis (5 May 2015). "13 Young Black Poets You Should Know -". Blavity. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Blay, Zeba (16 December 2015). "The Most Important Writing From People Of Color In 2015". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Raggett, Ned (June 9, 2016). "Ned's Atomic Link Bin: Kim Kardashian: Punk Inspiration, Iranian Rave Busts, When ZZ Top Were the Zombies and More". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  12. ↑ Sullivan, Dan "Sully" (February 19, 2016). "Muzzle Magazine: Conversations About History and Aesthetic with Stevie Edwards and Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib". Columbia Poetry Review. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  13. ↑ "FreezeRay Five: Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib". FreezeRay. January 3, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ "VIDA Reads with Writers — Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib!". VIDA. January 24, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  15. ↑ Thompson, Erica (July 14, 2016). "People: Poet Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib explores the changing landscape of Columbus". Columbus Alive. Retrieved 17 July 2016.

External links


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