Wesley Morris Joins Hanif Abdurraqib On March 31 For A Talk About A LITTLE DEVIL IN AMERICA

Writer and BAM Guest Curator at Large Hanif Abdurraqib will delve into the history of Black performance to celebrate his new book, A Little Devil in America (March 30, 2021, Random House).

This event is part of Unbound, a series celebrating new book releases co-presented by BAM and Greenlight Bookstore. He'll be joined in conversation by Wesley Morris, critic-at-large at The New York Times and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine.

Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound and lasting reflection on how Black performance is inextricably woven into the fabric of American culture. Each moment in every performance he examines-whether it's the twenty-seven seconds in "Gimme Shelter" in which Merry Clayton wails the words "rape, murder," a schoolyard fistfight, a dance marathon, or the instant in a game of spades right after the cards are dealt-has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures, the politics of American empire, and Abdurraqib's own personal history of love, grief, and performance.

A Little Devil in America brims with jubilation and pain, and is infused with the lyricism and rhythm of the musicians he loves. With care and generosity, he explains the poignancy of performances big and small, each one feeling intensely familiar and vital, both timeless and desperately urgent. Filled with sharp insight, humor, and heart, A Little Devil in America exalts the Black performance that unfolds in specific moments in time and space.

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. He is a Callaloo Creative Writing Fellow, a poetry editor at Muzzle Magazine, and a member of the poetry collective Echo Hotel with poet/essayist Eve L. Ewing. His podcast, Object of Sound recently launched on Sonos. He was named BAM's guest curator at large for music in January 2021.