Writer, professor, and cultural historian, James Polchin holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from New York University.
His book Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall (Counterpoint)was a finalist for an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and named a best true crime book of the year by CrimeReads. His second book, Shadow Men: A Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege that Scandalized Jazz Age America (Counterpoint) came out in 2024 and was recently reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, which noted: “Polchin knows the era, and bring to his account a wealth of colorful supporting details.” The book was named A Best Nonfiction Crime Books of the year by CrimeReads, and A Best Historical True Crime Book of the Year by the Chicago Review of Books.
His work has been featured in The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, Paris Review, Rolling Stone, Slate, TIME, Huffington Post, CrimeReads, NewNextNow, The New Inquiry, and the Gay and Lesbian Review. He has been interviewed about his work by Vox, Oxygen, BBC4 Radio, National Public Radio, The American Scholar, CrimeReads, Bookforum, House of Mystery Radio, among other places.
James is a Clinical Professor in Liberal Studies at New York University where he teaches writing and cultural history. For several years, he taught at NYU sites in London, Paris, and Florence. He has previously taught at the Creative Nonfiction Foundation, Princeton University Writing Program, The New School, and The American University.
He splits his time between New York and Provincetown, Massachusetts where he lives with his partner, the painter and photographer Greg Salvatori, and a Labrador named Albert.
Books in order of publication:
Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall – 2019
Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America – 2024
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