[11] Eventually, after attending Rhode Island School of Design, Duplan graduated from Bennington College in 2014[12] and then the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2017.
[3][15] The latter received praise from poets Jericho Brown, Major Jackson, and Shane McCrae,[16] as well as positive reviews from Literary Hub[17] and Make.
[18] In 2016 his poem My Heart Like a Needle Ever True Turns to the Maid of Ebon Hue caught the attention of PBS, because of its focus on Civil War spy Mary Bowser.
[24] The nonfiction book discusses the meanings of transition and passing in regard to gender, including the irreversible effects of testosterone therapy.
[30] While at Iowa, Duplan met Tracie Morris, when they "both presented talks at Columbia University's More Than A Manifesto conference", and she later interviewed him about black sociality, academia, and influences for The Los Angeles Review of Books.
The museum spokesperson cites Duplan's November 10 post calling for support for the BDS[31] movement, as what made them make that decision.