Above the Rim

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio, who has been published in the New York Times, New Yorker, FADER, and Pitchfork. His first full-length poetry collection, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much (Button Poetry, 2016) was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award and nominated for a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us (Two Dollar Radio, 2017) was named a book of the year by Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, Los Angeles Review, and the Chicago Tribune, among others. His critically acclaimed Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest (University of Texas, 2019) is a New York Times Bestseller and A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (2021) was a finalist for the National Book Award. His next book, There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension will be released in March 2024. Learn more on Abdurraqib's website.