Jabari Asim

Professor, Emerson College

Jabari Asim is a Professor of Creative Writing and Elma Lewis Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice at Emerson College. He is the author of eight books for adults and twelve books for children. His recent works include Yonder, a novel; Preaching to the Chickens: A Story of Young John Lewis; and A Child’s Introduction to African American History. His next book, We Can’t Breathe, will be published in October. His other books include Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men Speak Out on Law, Justice and Life (editor); The N Word: Who Can’t Say It, Who Shouldn’t and Why; What Obama Means: For Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future; and We Can’t Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival.

He is a frequent public speaker and commentator who has appeared on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “The Today Show,” “The Colbert Report,” “Hannity & Colmes,” “The Tavis Smiley Show,” “The Diane Rehm Show” and countless other programs. His byline has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Essence Magazine, USA Today, The New Republic, American Prospect, and the Chicago Tribune, among others.

He was an editor for 11 years at the Washington Post, where he also wrote a syndicated column on politics, popular culture, and social issues. Asim also served for 10 years as the editor-in-chief of the Crisis, the NAACP’s flagship journal of politics, culture, and ideas. His awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2016, and a Massachusetts Book Award Honor. He is a professor at Emerson College, where he directs the graduate program in creative writing.

RECENT ACTIVITIES :

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/04/arts/library-encounter-with-seusss-if-i-ran-zoo/

https://newrepublic.com/article/158719/frederick-douglass-republic-reclaim-vision-abolitionist-leader

https://lithub.com/jabari-asim-on-decolonized-souls-black-love-and-writing-the-past/