Prince Shakur is author, journalist, podcast host, video maker, and educator. He is a radical voice in today’s literary and cultural landscape. With his thought-provoking articles in prominent publications such as Teen Vogue, Afropunk, Catapult, and Vice, Prince explores queer culture, the impact of police and prison systems, diasporic representations in film, and the captivating inner lives of black icons. Notably, his career has been widely celebrated and recognized by GLAAD, The Hurston/Wright Foundation, and the Society for Features Journalism for his impactful media work.
His debut memoir, When They Tell You To Be Good, was described as “a searing account of self-discovery amidst the unyielding weight of structural oppression” by Publishers Weekly. It was named one of TIME Magazine’s Most Anticipated Books of the Fall.
Beyond the written word, Prince Shakur harnesses the power of visual storytelling. He collaborated as a writer, co-producer, and lead actor in BEFORE I DIE, a short film about two childhood friends on the precipice of an event that promises to reshape their lives. He has attended several prestigious artist residencies, including Sangam House, Studios of Key West, Norton Island, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and La Madison Baldwin.
As an organizer, he brought racial justice issues to Ohio University as a student organizer and writer. While in Seattle, he defended worker rights as a boycott organizer and then worked as a bank teller at Compass Housing Alliance for people without housing. Since then, he has participated in numerous environmental actions/movements, including Standing Rock; organized cultural events, protests, and abolition trainings as a lead organizer with Black Queer and Intersectional Collective; raised funds to support migrant caravans support efforts at the US/Mexican border; and organized against fascism through art and political action.
Prince, the host of the Black anarchist podcast “THE DUGOUT,” has a decade-long history of grassroots organizer. He brought racial justice issues to Ohio University, defended worker rights in Seattle, and worked as a bank teller at Compass Housing Alliance from 2014 to 2016. His activism extends to environmental movements like Standing Rock, cultural events with Black Queer and Intersectional Collective, fundraising for migrant caravans, and organizing against fascism through art and political action.
Since 2023, Shakur has served as an adjunct at Lehman College and a writing instructor for various queer/BIPOC writing organizations on memoirs, Black history, archival, and radical narratives. He is additionally a vital source for writing resources and reflections online as the founder of Millennial Writer Life, an Authortuber, and a political commentator to a TikTok following of over 8,000.
Prince is represented for his writing by Samantha Haywood, and now for his speaking by Rob Firing.