Charles M. Blow’s words have impacted readers, podcast listeners, and TV viewers for decades. The former New York Times columnist often writes about politics, social justice, race, and LGBTQ+ rights, developing a trusted audience of readers. It was that same community of readers who helped make Blow a two-time bestselling author, first with his 2014 book Fire Shut Up in My Bones (which was adapted into a critically acclaimed masterpiece at the Metropolitan Opera) and then again with 2021’s The Devil You Know: A Black Manifesto. Blow frequently appears as a commentator on MSNBC and CNN. This year marked an exciting new era for Blow when he became the inaugural recipient of the Langston Hughes Fellowship at the W.E.B. DuBois Research Center within the Hutchins Center for African American Research at Harvard University. Blow also explored stories of LGBTQ+ folks who came out later in life, similar to his own coming out as bisexual in his 40s, in the 2025 Hulu docuspecial Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life. He continues to share his insights on a variety of hot topics through his new Substack, Blow the Stack.