Wright: " profiling an athlete's tough because, ah, athletes don't really have anything to sell but themselves" The most interesting stuff that came through the reporting of a mosala profile was going to the village he was from and seeing all the young people there. That's where the story is when you're in a situation like that.
Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and critic whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and many other publications. His new book is A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance.
“I learn from hearing my elders tell stories. There’s an inherent knowing of yourself as a vessel for narration who also has to—is required to—hold the attention of others at all costs. And that’s essentially what I’m trying to do. The broader project of my writing is almost a constant pleading of: Don’t leave yet. Stay here with me for just a little bit longer.”
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