About
G’Ra Asim, a writer and musician, is an assistant professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis. Asim is the author of Boyz n the Void: a mixtape to my brother, which was named one of Kirkus’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2021.
He has served as a writing director at the African American Policy Forum and a graduate teaching fellow in Columbia University’s Undergraduate Writing Program. Asim’s next book of critical nonfiction, 99 Problems Finding the 1, is forthcoming from Beacon Press.
His essays have appeared in Slate, Salon, Guernica, The Baffler, The New Republic and the Boston Globe. When not writing or teaching, he plays in Wiretap Records punk act Baby Got Back Talk, who were named one of Alternative Press’s “17 rising Black alternative bands who are leading the next generation.”
Available Now!
99 Problems Finding The 1: A Love Story(Sort Of)
Released on Beacon Press August 4th, 2026
Part cultural criticism, part picaresque adventure, professor and punk musician G’Ra Asim tackles chronic lovelessness in the post-covid era with heft and humor.
The Latest on ‘99 Problems Finding the 1‘
- G’Ra Asim by Sasha Bonét (October2026)
- WashU professor G’Ra Asim’s ‘99 Problems’ explores race, rock and relationships(September 2026)
- Talking ’99 Problems Finding the 1′, ‘Code Ditching’, and more with G’Ra Asim(August 2026)
- G’Ra Asim Won’t Be Tied Down to Just One Form Of Self-Expression (August 2026)
- G’Ra Asim’s upcoming book explores ’99 Problems’ in finding human connection(July 2026)
- G’Ra Asim tackles love, identity, and culture in new book ‘99 Problems Finding the 1’(July 2026)
- The Dating Rat Race: PW Talks with G’Ra Asim (July 2026)
