Lavelle Porter is the author of The Blackademic Life: Academic Fiction, Higher Education, and the Black Intellectual (Northwestern University Press, 2019). Born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, he now holds a Ph.D. in English from the CUNY Graduate Center, and a B.A. in history from Morehouse College. His writing has appeared in venues such as Black Perspectives, The New Inquiry, Poetry Foundation, and JSTOR Daily. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the CLAGS Center for LGBTQ Studies. He has also worked as a licensed New York City walking tour guide, and teaches courses on NYC literature and history.

Twitter: @alavelleporter