Tressie McMillan Cottom is an accomplished author, researcher, educator, and cultural critic. She has gained significant recognition for her insightful analysis of social issues, particularly those related to technology, higher education, class, race, and gender. McMillan Cottom has been praised as a "master of metaphor" (Soraya McDonald), "one of America's most bracing thinkers on race, gender, and capitalism of our time" (Rebecca Traister), and "one of the finest public intellectuals writing today" (Roxane Gay). These accolades speak to her ability to dissect complex social problems and communicate them in a way that is both accessible and thought-provoking.\n \nDr. Tressie McMillan Cottom currently resides in Richmond, Virginia, where she is an associate professor of sociology. Her academic background has provided her with a solid foundation for her research and writing, allowing her to bring a rigorous and evidence-based approach to her analysis. In addition to her academic work, McMillan Cottom is also an accomplished author, with two critically acclaimed books under her belt. Her first book, Lower Ed (2017), offers a trenchant analysis of for-profit colleges and social inequality, while her second book, THICK: And Other Essays (2019), was a finalist for the National Book Award in Non-Fiction.\n \nBeyond her writing, McMillan Cottom is also a co-host of the award-winning podcast, Hear To Slay, alongside Roxane Gay. This platform has allowed her to engage with a broader audience and continue the conversation around the issues that she is passionate about. In 2020, McMillan Cottom was named a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, further solidifying her position as a leading voice in contemporary social and cultural critique.