Profiles
Samuel R. Delany
A profile of the polymathic science fiction writer, memoirist, essayist, and theoretician of sex and queer identity. (“Galaxy Brain,” The New Yorker)Samuel R. Delany
Giancarlo Esposito
A profile of the “Do the Right Thing,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Mandalorian” actor renowned for his villanious roles. (The New Yorker)Giancarlo Esposito
Kehinde Wiley
A profile of the painter Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama’s portraitist, who paints ordinary black people in the style of the Old Masters. I visited him in Brussels, where he was street-casting, at his studio in Williamsburg, and in Dakar, Senegal, at his luxorious Black Rock residency. (“The Painter and His Court,” The New Yorker)Kehinde Wiley
Ishmael Reed
A profile of Ishmael Reed, one of America’s greatest living satirists. I visited him in Oakland, where we discussed the co-optation of “multiculturalism” and the boom-and-bust cycles of black literature in American publishing. (“I Ain’t Been Mean Enough,” The New Yorker)Ishmael Reed
El Anatsui
A profile of the artist famous for his enormous, tapestry-like bottlecap sculptures. (Structure and Flow,” The New Yorker)El Anatsui
Dread Scott’s Rebellion
A profile of the performance artist as he prepared to stage a reenactment of North America’s largest-ever slave rebellion. (Vanity Fair)Dread Scott’s Rebellion