Jabari Asim
Jabari Asim is an associate professor of writing, literature and publishing at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.,[1] and since August 2007, has been the Editor-in-Chief of The Crisis magazine, a journal of politics, ideas and culture published by the NAACP and founded by historian and social activist W.E.B. Du Bois in 1910.
In welcoming Asim to The Crisis in August 2007, then publisher Roger Wilkins said, “Mr. Asim is a seasoned editor, a fine writer and author of a new best selling book. He is a gentleman devoted to the cause of racial justice, is excited about his new role with the NAACP and we are energized by his joining our ranks.” [2]
In April 2009, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation awarded Jabari Asim a fellowship in nonfiction, one of 180 fellowships awarded to artists, scientists and scholars in 2009 selected from a group of almost 3,000 applicants.[3]
Asim spent eleven years (1996–2007) at the Washington Post, where he served as deputy editor of the book review section, children's book editor, poetry editor, and editor of the Washington Post's Education Review. For three years he also wrote a Washington Post Writers Group syndicated column on political and social issues for the Post. Asim is a former vice president of the National Book Critics Circle.
From 2008 to 2010, Asim was Scholar-in-Residence in African-American Studies and in the Department of Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[4]
Jabari Asim divides his time between Massachusetts and Maryland with his wife, Liana, and their five children.
Nonfiction
Asim is the acclaimed author of What Obama Means, (William Morrow, January 20, 2009; ISBN 978-0061711336) as well as the author of the highly praised and controversial The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, And Why (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; ISBN 978-0618197170.)
He is a frequent public speaker and commentator who has appeared on The Today Show, The Colbert Report, Hannity & Colmes, the Tavis Smiley Show, the Diane Rehm show and countless other programs. He has lectured at many of the nation’s finest universities, including University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, Syracuse University and the University of Florida.
Asim's reviews and cultural criticism also have been published in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, the Phoenix Gazette, Los Angeles Times Book Review, Salon.com, the Detroit News, The Village Voice, Hungry Mind Review, XXL, Code, Emerge, Essence, Africana.com and BlackElectorate.com.
He is editor of Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men Speak Out on the Law, Justice and Life, published in November 2001.
Fiction
Asim’s debut work of fiction, A Taste of Honey, is a collection of sixteen connected stories told from multiple perspectives which take place in a fictional Midwestern town called Gateway in 1968, published by Broadway Books in March 2010. It was featured in the March 2010 issue of Essence magazine.
Go On Girl! Book Club selected A Taste of Honey for its 2011 Reading List for May.[5]
In January 2011, A Taste of Honey was nominated for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction, 42nd NAACP Image Awards[6]
Children's books
The Road To Freedom, his first novel for young readers, was published in 2000.
His other children’s books include Whose Toes Are Those, Whose Knees Are These, and Daddy Goes to Work. Girl of Mine and Boy of Mine were published in spring 2010 by Little Brown.
Poetry
A poet, playwright and fiction writer, Asim has published work in a number of anthologies and literary magazines. He was the only writer to have both poetry and fiction included in "In The Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers"; his short story "Two Fools" appeared in "Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America" (Ballantine); and his poems, along with "Peace, Dog," a one-act play, were published in the "Soulfires: Young Black Men on Love and Violence" anthology compiled by Rohan Preston and Daniel Wideman.[7]
His critical essay, "What Is This New Thing?" appears in The Furious Flowering of African-American Poetry, and an essay appeared in Step Into A World: A Global Anthology of The New Black Literature.
Poetry by Asim was published in African American Writers: A Literary Reader. His poetry was also published in the anthologies Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social & Political Black Literature & Art, Beyond The Frontier: African-American Poetry for the 21st Century, and appeared most recently in The Harlem Reader: A Celebration of New York’s Most Famous Neighborhood from the Renaissance Years to the 21st Century; and in From The Black Arts Movement to Furious Flower: A Collection of Contemporary African American Poetry.
Bibliography
Non-Fiction
- What Obama Means: ...For Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future (William Morrow, January 20, 2009)
- The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 26, 2007)
- Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men Speak Out on the Law, Justice and Life (editor) (HarperCollins, November 2001)
Fiction
- A Taste of Honey (Broadway Books, 2009)
Children's
- Girl of Mine (Little Brown Kids, Spring, 2009)
- Boy of Mine (Little Brown Kids, Spring, 2009)
- Whose Toes Are Those? (Little Brown Kids, March 2006)
- Whose Knees Are These? (LittleBrown Kids, March 2006)
- Daddy Goes to Work (Little Brown, 2006)
- Road to Freedom: A Story of the Reconstruction (Jamestown, 2000)
References
- The Agency Group
- Jabari Asim's "Daddy Goes to Work" featured in photo (parent reading to 2nd graders) and mentioned in story: "Parents and Students Learn Side by Side in D.C. School," by Mary Ann Zehr, Education Week, January 24, 2011
- Jabari Asim quoted in "Sanitizing Twain--To the Nth Degree," by Laurence Hughes, Huffington Post, January 14, 2011
- Jabari Asim quoted in "The dreaded n-word is back," by Annette John-Hall, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 14, 2011
- Overview of Jabari Asim's A Taste of Honey by Elaine Johnson, Howard County Library blog, January 5. 2011
- Jabari Asim quoted in "Don't Take The 'Ni**er Jim' Out My Story," by Mark Anthony Neal, TheLoop21.com, January 6, 2011
- Frogenyozurt.com features review of Jabari Asim's A Taste of Honey, by Wilfried F. Ross, December 1, 2010
- Kris Kleindienst of Left Bank Books picks A Taste of Honey by Jabari Asim as a favorite book of 2010, StLToday.com, December 3, 2010
- Emerson College Writing, Literature & Publishing Faculty Page for Jabari Asim, Fall 2010
- Reads4Pleasure blog rates "A Taste of Honey" by Jabari Asim an "Instant Classic," July 9, 2010
- "Next generation: Writer Jabari Asim challenges conventional views on race," by Kristen Hare, St. Louis Beacon, June 7, 2010
- "5 Must-Read Short-Story Collections (including Jabari Asim's A Taste of Honey)," by Jane Ciababattari, The Daily Beast, May 30, 2010
- Chicago Tribune review by Lynna Williams of Jabari Asim's A Taste of Honey, May 4, 2010
- Jabari Asim: A Man of Many Genres, an interview by Caleb Curtiss for Smile Politely, March 16, 2010
- "'A Taste of Honey, An Evocative Collection of Short Stories about Love, Pain and Honor," Interview with Jabari Asim by Lynette Holloway for Black Voices on Books, March 16, 2010
- Blogger Carleen Brice interviews Jabari Asim about A Taste of Honey, March 2, 2010
- "Jabari Asim to keynote MLK event," St. Louis American, December 30, 2009
- A Conversation with Jabari Asim by Elsa Nefertari Ulen, TheDefendersonline.com, December 18, 2009
- University of Illinois College of Media News: Journalism faculty member Jabari Asim selected for ESSENCE Magazine's online book club, December 3, 2009
- John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellows page for Jabari Asim, 2009 US & Canada Competition, Creative Arts - General Nonfiction
- Publishers Weekly, Guggenheim Fellowships for 2009 Announced, by Michael Coffey, April 8, 2009
- "Obama's election both fulfillment and call for action, author says," article by Jerry Rhodes, photo by Duane Perry, UDaily, University of Delaware, March 2, 2009
- Ebony senior editor Terry Glover reviews What Obama Means by Jabari Asim, 2009
- "History, Amnesia, and the N Word," by Darryl Lorenzo Wellington, essay on Jabari Asim's "The N Word," and Randall Kennedy's "Nigger," Dissent Magazine, Winter 2008
- Interview with Jabari Asim, The Brown Bookshelf, February 10, 2008
- NAACP Press Release: NAACP Welcomes Jabari Asim as New Editor of The Crisis, August 6, 2007
- "Can N-word funeral bury hatred?" by Adam Graham, The Detroit News, July 7, 2007 (Jabari Asim quoted)
- Jabari Asim reviews Ralph Ellison: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad for The Washington Post Book World (washingtonpost.com, May 20, 2007)
- Public Broadcasting of Atlanta and the Georgia Center for the Book's African American Culture Series present a lecture by Jabari Asim on The N Word, May 9, 2007
- Northwestern University's Medill Lecture Series presents Charles Whitaker discussing The N Word with author Jabari Asim, by Belinda Lichty Clarke, April 27, 2007
- Interview with Jabari Asim by Mark Anthony Neal on Salon.com, April 25, 2007
- "If You Don't Know Jabari Asim...," review of Jabari Asim's "The N Word" by Mark Anthony Neal, NewBlackMan blog, February 27, 2007
- Kirkus Book Reviews review of The N Word by Jabari Asim, February 15, 2007
- Jabari Asim's Washington Post columns, 2004-2005
- Jabari Asim's poem "Dumas" on SeeingBlack.com, February 4, 2003
Book reviews by Jabari Asim
- Review of "Blonde Faith" by Walter Mosley, by Jabari Asim, New York Times, November 18, 2007
- Review of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, by Jabari Asim, September 30, 2007
- Jabari Asim reviews poetry for children by Marilyn Singer, Gary Soto, Calef Brown, Charlotte Pomerantz, and a collection in The Washington Post (May 14, 2006)
- The Washington Post's children's book editor Jabari Asim discusses "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis. washingtonpost.com, December 20, 2000
- Review of "Suder" by Percival Everett, by Jabari Asim, The Washington Post Book World, November 7, 1999
- "Sexual Healing," review of Trey Ellis's novel "Right Here, Right Now," by Jabari Asim, Village Voice, February 2, 1999
The Washington Post Book Club online chats with Jabari Asim
- Jabari Asim hosts discussion of Edward P. Jones' first book "Lost in the City," The Washington Post Book Club, December 21, 2004
- "Schools and Kids," Guest: Jabari Asim, The Washington Post's Children's Book Editor answers questions about children's books, The Washington Post Live Online, April 12, 2000
- Jabari Asim hosts discussion of Percival Everett's "Suder," The Washington Post Book Club, November 29, 1999
- "Dr. Laura Schlessinger and the N-Word’s Long, Painful Trek Through History," by Jabari Asim, WallStreetJournal.com, August 20, 2010
- National Book Critics Circle at AWP: Jabari Asim on the Black Critical Tradition, February 7, 2008
- "The Last Poets Still Rhyme," by Jabari Asim, The Washington Post, January 8, 2007
- "The Sting of Slurs," by Jabari Asim, The Washington Post, November 6, 2006
- "Curating and Reclaiming Black History," by Jabari Asim, The Washington Post, February 7, 2005
- "Wealth and Racism," by Jabari Asim, The Washington Post, February 16, 2004
Audio links
- Cyrus Webb interviews Jabari Asim and Christopher Rice, Conversations LIVE with Cyrus Webb, BlogTalkRadio, April 8, 2010
- Rap Sessions: Is America Really Post-Racial?, presented by Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, Columbia College, Chicago & Rap Sessions, Moderator: Bakari Kitwana, Panelists: Jabari Asim, Lisa Fager Bediako, Timuel Black, Invincible, Dr. Tricia Rose, Jane M. Saks, April 16, 2009
- NPR's Morning Edition: "Obama And Film's 'Magic Negroes,'" Jabari Asim hosted by Steve Inskeep, January 19, 2009
- Oprah Radio hosts Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete interview with Jabari Asim about The N Word, August 19, 2008
- "Conversations with David Lewis: Jabari Asim - The N Word" Parts 1 & 2 of radio interview on AM 1690 The Voice of the Arts in Atlanta, May 31, 2007
- "Jabari Asim 'The N Word,' interview on Bill Thompson's Eye on Books, May 4, 2007
- Tavis Smiley, PBS, interviews Jabari Asim about The N Word, April 18, 2007
- Podcast: NPR's Diane Rehm interviews Jabari Asim about The N Word, April 4, 2007
Video links
- Jabari Asim reads from A Taste of Honey at Howard County Library, Columbia, Maryland, January 19, 2011
- NAACP Crisis Magazine presents A Hip Hop State of Mind with Jabari Asim and Erin O. Patton, Busboys & Poets, Washington, DC (September 10, 2010) (Part 2)
- NAACP Crisis Magazine presents A Hip Hop State of Mind with Jabari Asim and Erin O. Patton, Busboys & Poets, Washington, DC (September 10, 2010) (Part 1)
- Jabari Asim on Colbert Report, January 20, 2009
- Interview with Jabari Asim about The N Word on This is America with Dennis Wholey (Show 1142, 2007-2008 Season)
- "After Words with Jabari Asim," Bakari Kitwana interviews Jabari Asim about his book The N Word, C-SPAN Book TV, April 20, 2007
- Jabari Asim on Colbert Report, March 28, 2007
- Author Interview: Jabari Asim talks about his children's book "Daddy Goes to Work," Authors Pavillion, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Annual Legislative Conference, C-Span2 Book TV, September 8, 2006
External links
Persondata |
Name |
Asim, Jabari |
Alternative names |
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Short description |
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Date of birth |
1962 |
Place of birth |
St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
Date of death |
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Place of death |
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