Faculty Fellow
Clinical Professor, Department of Liberal Studies
The Case of Gustave Beekman: Political Scandal, American Fascism, and Queer Life at the Dawn of World War II
James Polchin, Ph.D. is a Clinical Professor in Liberal Studies at New York University where he teaches writing and cultural history. His writing and research explores the histories of queer experience, crime, and 20th century cultural history. 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) 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, and Wicked Words podcast, among other places.
He has taught at NYU sites in London, Paris, and Florence. Previously he was on the faculty of the Creative Nonfiction Foundation, Princeton University Writing Program, The New School, and The American University, in Washington, D.C.