Thomas Chatterton Williams

Thomas Chatterton Williams (born 1981) is an American cultural critic and author. He is the author of the 2019 book Self-Portrait in Black and White. He is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine.

He is a 2019 New America Fellow and a Berlin Prize recipient.

Thomas Chatterton Williams was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1981, to a black father, Clarence Williams, and a white mother, Kathleen. He was named after the English poet Thomas Chatterton. He was raised in Fanwood, New Jersey and attended Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Williams graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. He also completed a master’s degree from New York University's Cultural Reporting and Criticism program.

Williams released his second book, Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race, on October 15, 2019. Williams appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher on October 18, 2019 to promote the book.

Williams was a member of the jury for the 2019 American Library in Paris Book Award.

Williams married Valentine Faure in France in 2011. He currently lives in Paris, France with Faure, their daughter Marlow, and their son Saul.