On today’s episode, we’ll be in conversation with the author of one of the most anticipated books of the year. The book is called There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, and it’s a poetic love letter to basketball; also to being rooted in Columbus Ohio, where the author has lived most of his life, and to the idea and experience of enemies. It’s written by MacArthur Genius Hanif Abdurraqib, who is a poet, writer, music and cultural critic, as well as a sneakerhead and a dog parent. We talk about Hanif’s new book, which uses basketball as a vehicle for engaging the nuances of social life, from pride in a team city and following dreams that can be just out of reach, to a relationship with urban abandonment, police violence, jails, and rebellion, all alongside nuances of love and grief. We also talk about Israel’s genocide in Gaza as well as the sacrifices of Ramadan.

Hanif Abdurraqib will be appearing in San Francisco on his book tour for an event co-sponsored by SF City Arts and Lectures as well as Marcus Books on April 3rd at 7:30pm at they Sydney Goldstein Theater. More info here: https://cityarts.net/

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