Hanif Abdurraqib is a renowned author, essayist, poet, and cultural critic. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, and has made a significant impact in the literary world through his diverse works. Abdurraqib's poetry has been published in several prestigious journals, including Muzzle, Vinyl, and PEN American. His essays and music criticism have also been featured in well-known publications such as The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.
Abdurraqib's work has been recognized with various awards and nominations. His first full-length poetry collection, "The Crown Ain't Worth Much," was released in 2016 by Button Poetry. This collection was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. In 2017, he released a limited edition chapbook, "Vintage Sadness," with Big Lucks. His first collection of essays, "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us," was published in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by multiple prestigious organizations. In 2019, Abdurraqib released "Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest" with University of Texas press, which became a New York Times Bestseller and received critical acclaim. His second collection of poems, "A Fortune For Your Disaster," was released in 2019 by Tin House and won the 2020 Lenore Marshall Prize. His latest book, "A Little Devil In America," was published by Random House in 2021. Abdurraqib is a graduate of Beechcroft High School.