Essays, translations, interviews, etc.
Anthologies
Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation
(Tilted Axis Press, 2022)
Frantz Fanon wrote in 1961 that ‘Decolonization is always a violent phenomenon,’ meaning that the violence of colonialism can only be counteracted in kind. As colonial legacies linger today, what are the ways in which we can disentangle literary translation from its roots in imperial violence?
Various writers and translators from across the world share their ideas and practices for disrupting and decolonizing translation.
The Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature
(Pushkin Press, 2019)
In this anthology, arranged by the brilliant André Naffis-Sahely, you can find a selection from my (unpublished) translation of Martha Nasibù’s memoir, Memories of an Ethiopian Princess.
Nasibù, once a member of the Ethiopian aristocracy in the early 20th century, writes about the Fascist invasion of her country, the death of her warrior father, and the subsequent years of exile she and her surviving family members endured in Italy, Libya, Greece, and elsewhere.
Essays
Lead essay in The Point Magazine, Issue 22; June 2020
LARB Quarterly Journal: No. 18, Genius Issue; May 2018
Commentaries
Thinking of Black Families, Together and Apart, on Juneteenth — Literary Hub; June 2020
Attack the Block — The Point Magazine; June 2020
On Black Pessimism and George Floyd — Literary Hub; June 2020
Xenophobia Meets Reality in Italy — Foreign Policy; June 2018
Italy Needed a Government. It Got a Circus. — Foreign Policy; May 2018
Italy’s Christian Colony — n+1; April 2018
Detroit Open City — Los Angeles Review of Books; Sep. 2017
Journalism
Fighting over the future of Inwood, Manhattan’s last affordable neighborhood — The New York Times, co-authored with Jeff Mays; Aug. 2018
A nail salon brawl opened a racial rift online. In Brooklyn, the mood is calmer. — The New York Times, co-authored with John Leland and Mariana Alfaro; Aug. 2018
Taxi and Uber drivers are united in backing a cap on ride-hail vehicles — The New York Times, co-authored with Emma Fitzsimmons; Aug. 2018
An’Dee: A new take on classic musical benefits foster and homeless youth — Detroit Metro Times; July 2016
Blind art, black humor, and a road trip with Brendan Patrick — Detroit Metro Times; July 2016
Detroit Metro Times, cover story for Vol. 36, No. 44; Aug. 2016)
Detroit Metro Times, Cover Story for Vol. 36, No. 50; Sep. 2016)
Reviews
The Pieces I Am: An intimate retrospective of Toni Morrison’s trailblazing career — Literary Hub; June 2019
Natural-Born Bards — The Nation; Feb. 2018
Crater of Illusions — The Point Magazine; Dec. 2017
Ackeem Salmon impresses with performative photography — Detroit Metro Times; Aug. 2016
World Literature Today, Vol. 93, No. 4: Autumn 2019
The Point Magazine, Issue 15; Dec. 2017
Translated Articles
Lockdown in the Free Republic of Pigneto by Igiaba Scego — Ytali; May 2020
Letter From Rome: Dear Americans, Please Stay Inside by Igiaba Scego — Literary Hub; March 2020
Not One Less by Igiaba Scego — World Literature Today, part of the Puterbaugh Essay Series in Vol. 93, No. 4: Autumn 2019
Selected Interviews & Profiles
Detroit’s Black Christian Utopia — Commonweal; October 2024
Author of The Black Utopians on the quest for a better Black existence — ABC News Live; October 2024
The Pursuit of “Black Utopia” in Michigan — Stateside, Michigan Public Radio; October 2024
Writers to Watch: 10 Noteworthy Nonfiction Debuts, Fall 2024 — Publishers Weekly; August 2024
Robertson Reads the Translation Runes as Booker Longlist Revealed — The Bookseller; March 2024
Meet the International Booker Prize 2024 Judges: Aaron Robertson — The Booker Prizes; Feb. 2024
John Keene, The Art of Fiction No. 259 — Paris Review; June 2023
“Spinning an Illusion”: What Exactly Do Literary Translators Do? by Gazelle Mba — The Booker Prizes; May 2023
7 Literary Translators You Need to Know by JR Ramakrishnan — Electric Literature; Nov. 2020
The Year Afropessimism Hit the Streets?: A Conversation at the Edge of the World (interview with Frank Wilderson III)— Literary Hub; Aug. 2020
Translator profile as featured in Translation Review — Vol. 105, No. 1: Teaching Translation Studies; Nov. 2019
Princeton Alumni Weekly; July 2019