ART | TALENT
ABOUT
When Hanif Abdurraqib was born, his father sang the call to prayer in his ear—a melody that has echoed onward through his life. “I’m not a singer,” admits the Ohio-based writer, “I can’t sing well and I don’t attempt to sing often. However…l like to think that poetry most commonly stumbles towards me in the sense of song. I talk about paying close attention to the world, and what I mean is paying close attention to the sounds and small movements in the world and trying to arrange them in a way that has a musicality and a beauty to it.” His writing is energetic and tender, marked by breathless urgency and a lyrical precision that recognises the potential of every word and sentence. A believer in the co-authorship of art and life, Abdurraqib says he writes in search of shared revelation: “I’m always seeking that specific common ground with others… to say, you aren’t going to feel exactly as I feel, but you might come close, and in that closeness we might connect.” We hope the conversation that follows moves you toward this possibility.
Talent: Hanif Abdurraqib
Photographer: Jesper D. Lund
Stylist: Milton Dixon III
Makeup and Hair Artist: Whittany Robinson
Producer: Lola Güldenløve Corfixen
Lighting Director: David Jaffe
Photo Assistant: Eugene Tsai
Styling Assistants: Alana Powell, Olaoluwa Olajide
