How NY Times Bestselling Author Hanif Abdurraqib Writes

The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

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12d ago 33:48

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New York Times bestselling author Hanif Abdurraqib spoke to me about taking a leap of faith, the tentpoles of his writing practice, and his recent NBCC award-winning THERE’S ALWAYS THIS YEAR: On Basketball and Ascension.

Hanif Abdurraqib is a lauded New York Times bestselling author, recent Winner of the NBCC Award for criticism, and a finalist for the National Book Award for A Little Devil in America. He is also a poet, essayist, cultural critic, contributor for The New Yorker, and a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant.

His latest book, There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, was described by Publishers Weekly, in a Starred Review, as "A triumphant meditation on basketball and belonging…" and named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, Electric Lit and many others.

Steve James, director of Hoop Dreams, called it, “Mesmerizing ... not only the most original sports book I’ve ever read but one of the most moving books I’ve ever read, period.”

Hanif’s first collection of essays, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was named a book of the year by NPR, Esquire, BuzzFeed, O: The Oprah Magazine, Pitchfork, and the Chicago Tribune, among others.

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In this file Hanif Abdurraqib and I discussed:

What it’s like to be on a book tour for close to a year

His superpower as a highly prolific writer

Quitting his 9-5 job after squirreling away money from freelancing

Building his own poetry curriculum

Why his writing routine hasn’t changed much over the years

Hot takes on the 2025 NBA Playoffs

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

abdurraqib.com

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib (Amazon)

Hanif Abdurraqib on Facebook

Hanif Abdurraqib on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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