Poets & Writers Theater

Every day we share a new clip of interest to creative writers—author readings, book trailers, publishing panels, craft talks, and more. So grab some popcorn, filter the theater tags by keyword or genre, and explore our sizable archive of literary videos.

Hilton Als on the Origins of His Name

Writer Hilton Als on how he got his name, from ‘White Girls’

Writer Hilton Als on how he got his name, from ‘White Girls’

“The minute I was born I was not just myself, but the memory of someone else,” reads Hilton Als from his essay collection White Girls, published in 2014 by McSweeney’s and reprinted in 2019 by Penguin Books, in this video in which he tells the story of how he got his name.

Tags: Creative Nonfiction | Hilton Als | White Girls | McSweeney’s | Penguin Books | essay collection | 2019

Poets & Writers Theater

Hilton Als on the Origins of His Name

Writer Hilton Als on how he got his name, from ‘White Girls’

Writer Hilton Als on how he got his name, from ‘White Girls’