Clifford Thompson's work has appeared in The Best American Essays 2018, as well as the 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. His previous book, What It Is: Race, Family, and One Thinking Black Man's Blues, was published by Other Press in 2019. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.