Clifford Thompson, "What It Is"

Clifford Thompson discusses his book, "What It Is", at Politics and Prose.

An award-winning journalist, essayist, and professor, Thompson grew up in D.C., where he absorbed both the lessons of racism and the ideal of equality. Jolted by Trump’s election and the surge of white elitism, Thompson questioned his sense of his nation—and his own values—as never before. In an eloquent exploration and analysis of the state of the country today, Thompson interweaves his own unsettling experiences, the wisdom of writers such as James Baldwin, Albert Murray, and Joan Didion, and, most of all, stories from a variety of people, including Trump supporters, community organizers, and the founder of the National African American Gun Association.

Clifford Thompson’s work has appeared in publications including The Best American Essays 2018, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Threepenny Review, and Village Voice. He is the recipient of a Whiting Award for nonfiction and teaches at New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Bennington Writing Seminars. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Produced by Tom Warren