Episode 404: Hanif Abdurraqib’s Nod to Witnessing in ‘There’s Always This Year’

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By Brendan O’Meara

Kinda crazy, right? That someone like Hanif Abdurraqib (@nifmuhammad) would agree to be on this little podcast, which just turned eleven on March 20.

Hanif needs next-to-no introduction, but here’s a little bit about him. His book A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance was a finalist for the National Book Award. He’s the author of the essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us and the poetry collections A Fortune for Your Disaster and The Crown Ain’t Worth Much. His latest book is There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension (Random House).

It’s a masterpiece; Hanif is a masterpiece.

In this conversation, we talk about productivity, envy, specificity, intentionality, and a nod to witnessing. It’s great stuff, great talk.

Continue reading “Episode 404: Hanif Abdurraqib’s Nod to Witnessing in ‘There’s Always This Year’”

Episode 394: Athena Dixon is OK with the Plateau

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By Brendan O’Meara

Look who’s back! It’s Athena Dixon! Her latest book (as of 2023) is The Loneliness Files: A Memoir in Essays. It’s published by Tin House and edited by Hanif Abdurraqib.

It’s a quiet book, but don’t mistake that for meek. And we talk about the quiet authority of her book as well as:

  • Athena being OK with the plateau
  • Setting a concrete vision for your goals as a writer
  • How Hanif helped her with throat clearing
  • And how she edits clients without losing their voices
Continue reading “Episode 394: Athena Dixon is OK with the Plateau”