James Spooner

James Spooner is an American filmmaker, graphic novelist, tattoo artist, and cultural commentator whose work has influenced the conversation around Black identity in punk and alternative music. Spooner directed "Afro-Punk," a documentary examining race, identity, and punk subculture among Black Americans. The 66-minute film explores the roles of African Americans within a predominantly white punk scene in the United States, highlighting issues such as loneliness, exile, interracial dating, and the double lives people of color navigate within subcultural communities. The documentary features interviews with punks and bands including Fishbone, 24-7 Spyz, and Dead Kennedys.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and became a cultural reference point. Spooner toured "Afro-Punk" across the United States and internationally, screening it over 300 times and fostering community engagement. Following the film's release, Spooner curated the Liberation Sessions concert series, promoting Black artistry through music and film, and co-founded the annual Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn. The festival draws audiences in the hundreds of thousands worldwide. Spooner later wrote and directed "White Lies Black Sheep," a fictional feature set within the punk world that also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Spooner's creative work extends to graphic novels. His debut, "The High Desert," was recognized by Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, and The New York Public Library, and received the American Library Association's Alex Award and the Cartoonist Studio Prize. He also co-edited the anthology "Black Punk Now," featuring Black punk writers and comic creators. The anthology was recognized by Pitchfork and The Guardian and received a Kirkus star. Pantheon acquired Spooner's book "It Starts With Anger."

The Broad Museum in Los Angeles collaborated with Spooner for a documentary series installment on the musical influences of New York painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, focusing on punk and no wave. Spooner serves as a guest curator for the Broad Museum and has programmed for Brooklyn Academy of Music. He contributes to RazorCake Punk Magazine and continues to screen "Afro-Punk" at colleges, delivering talks on punk and Black identity.

Spooner's work has been featured in NPR, Vice Magazine, The Village Voice, The New Yorker, Vibe, Fader Magazine, MTV, NBC News, and Variety. He received the ReNew Media Rockefeller Grant and wrote the foreword for the anthology "White Riot," which explores the intersection of race, identity, and punk music. Through documentary film, graphic memoir, and public speaking, Spooner provides insight into the intersection of Blackness, punk culture, and American identity.