Henry Hicks

Henry Hicks IV (he/him) is an American writer, organizer, and historian currently pursuing an MPhil in U.S. History. His research at the University of Oxford focuses on the political imagination of freedpeople during the Reconstruction period, and bridges this history with contemporary movement work undertaken by the American Left.

His writings on politics, history, and literature have appeared in The Guardian, Teen Vogue, The Nation, Mother Jones, In These Times, The Drift, and The Brooklyn Rail, among others. His fiction, which often explores themes of Blackness, queerness, and movement history, has been supported by Lambda Literary, Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing, McCormack Writing Center (formerly Tin House), Sundress Academy for the Arts, and The Porch. He has delivered remarks and led political education workshops for audiences at the Brookings Institution, the National Press Club, Indivisible, the Oxford Writers’ House, Narratives of Repair, and more.

Henry holds a B.A. in Comparative American Studies and Creative Writing from Oberlin College, where he graduated with Highest Honors. He is a Harry S. Truman Scholar.