Clifford Thompson is the author of Twin of Blackness: A Memoir, Love for Sale and Other Essays, and a novel, Signifying Nothing. His upcoming book, What It is: Race, Family, and One Thinking Black Man's Blues, will be published in the fall.
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLES
Letter to the Editor: Clifford Thompson Responds to Joel Rhone
Clifford Thompson and Joel Rhone exchange letters to the editor in response to Rhone’s review of Thompson’s “What It Is.”...
Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White
An illuminating, thought-provoking, refreshingly broad-minded new book about the blues....
Humor Is the Dominant Note: On James McBride’s “Deacon King Kong”
Clifford Thompson reviews the latest novel from National Book Award winner James McBride, “Deacon King Kong.”...
Toni Morrison’s Big Bang
The primal wound of slavery in Toni Morrison’s fiction....
Jimmy’s Blues
What does it mean when James Baldwin says that he is a blues singer?...
The Damage Done
Clifford Thompson considers the strengths and shortcomings of Roxane Gay's "Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body."...
Journey of Miles
Clifford Thompson charts the heroic American journey of Miles Davis....
Our Hero and His Blues: Celebrating Albert Murray
Clifford Thompson celebrates Albert Murray 100th birthday by taking an in-depth look at his life's work...
Eric Garner and Me
Clifford Thompson shares his experiences with racism....
