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Charles Blow      

Visual Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times; CNN Contributor & NY Times Best-Selling Author of "Fire Shut Up in My Bones"

Charles M. Blow is an Op-Ed columnist at The New York Times, where his column appears on Mondays and Thursdays. Blow’s columns tackle hot-button issues such as social justice, racial equality, presidential politics, police violence, gun control, and the Black Lives Matter Movement. He also serves as a political analyst for MSNBC and has made regular appearances on CNN.

Blow joined The New York Times in 1994 as a graphics editor and quickly became the paper’s graphics director. He then went on to serve as the paper's design director for news, expanding his influence and imprint on the publication. Additionally, in 2021, Blow hosted the primetime show called "Prime with Charles M. Blow" on the Black News Channel. Throughout his career, he has also been interviewed by various media outlets, including on C-SPAN in 2011.

As an author, Blow has published two critically acclaimed books. His New York Times best-selling memoir, "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," won a Lambda Literary Award and the Sperber Prize and was adapted into an opera that opened the Metropolitan Opera's 2021-2022 season. His second book, "The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto," is praised as a crucial work advocating for direct action toward building a political majority.

Blow graduated magna cum laude from Grambling State University in Louisiana, where he received a B.A. in mass communications, and he holds an honorary doctorate from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. As of 2020, he has made Atlanta his primary residence, while maintaining his home in Brooklyn. He came out publicly as bisexual in 2014, shedding light on his personal experiences in his published works and articles.

Speech Topics


Today's Social and Political Issues

As a New York Times columnist known for his fearless brand of political and social commentary, Charles Blow has become a familiar face on TV and a frequent target for conservative critics. His column typically features charts, but it's mainly his words, written and spoken, that continue to spark conversation and debate about social and political issues of the day. As a speaker, Blow fearlessly tackles contentious issues, such as Dating, Childhood Obesity, Life in Large Cities, Acceptance of Gays in Society, and President Obama. Recently Blow has spoken on topics such as: Income Inequality, Xenophobia, Teen Pregnancy, Education and the relationship between journalism and justice as evident by the Trayvon Martin shooting.

News


Interview: Charles Blow, Author Of ' Shut Up In My Bones' : NPR
Charles Blow says he was 7 years old when he was sexually abused by a cousin . His new memoir, Fire Shut Up In My Bones, is about what he says happened, ...
Up From Pain - NYTimes.com
Charles Blow, 2014 Credit Chad Batka for The New York Times. That night, I forced myself to come to terms with some things. Chester had done damage, but he ...
Charles M. Blow Opens Up About Sexuality In Powerful Op-Ed
Charles M. Blow Opens Up About Sexuality In Powerful Op-Ed. New York Times | By Charles M. Blow. Posted: 09/21/2014 11:12 am EDT Updated: 09/22/2014 ...
Charles Blow on Masculinity, Trayvon Martin, and Reliving Childhood
Charles Blow is known to readers of the New York Times as a guy who distills complex news events into tidy concepts and charts. But his unabashedly honest ...
NYT Columnist Charles Blow on Being Labeled Bisexual | Advocate ...
In his upcoming memoir Fire Shut Up in My Bones, New York Times columnist Charles Blow shares that he is attracted to both men and women but doesn't want  ...

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