[Unedited] Hanif Abdurraqib with Pádraig Ó Tuama

<p>Hanif Abdurraqib’s writing is filled with lyricism, rhythm, people and precision. In his essays and poetry, he introduces readers to a soundscape of Black performance and Black joy: we hear hip-hop and jazz, we hear Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Little Richard. Music and performance of every kind are the source of his fascination, focus and wisdom: what makes people cry, or feel safe, or brave; held in struggle, joy, or love. Hanif is interviewed by our colleague, Pádraig Ó Tuama, a poet himself and the host of On Being Studios<i>’ </i><a href="https://onbeing.org/series/poetry-unbound/"><i>Poetry Unbound</i></a> podcast, now in its third season.</p><p>Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published in <i>Muzzle</i>, <i>Vinyl</i>, <i>PEN American</i>, and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published in <i>The FADER</i>, <i>Pitchfork</i>, <i>The New Yorker</i>, and <i>The New York Times</i>. His books include, <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/a-little-devil-in-america-notes-in-praise-of-black-performance/9781984801197"><i>A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance</i></a>, <a href="https://buttonpoetry.com/product/the-crown-aint-worth-much/"><i>The Crown Ain’t Worth Much</i></a>,<a href="https://twodollarradio.com/products/they-cant-kill-us"> <i>They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us</i></a>,<a href="https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/abdurraqib-go-ahead-in-the-rain"> <i>Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest</i></a>, and<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781947793439"> <i>A Fortune for your Disaster</i></a>. He’s also the host of the podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/object-of-sound/id1548596327">Object of Sound</a>.</p><p>This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Hanif Abdurraqib — Moments of Shared Witnessing." <a href="https://onbeing.org/programs/hanif-abdurraqib-moments-of-shared-witnessing/#transcrip