About Nnedi Okorafor
“We'll never know exactly why we are, what we are, and so on. All you can do is follow your path all the way to the wilderness, and then you continue along because that's what must be.” Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death
Her Life
Nnedi Okorafor, a Nigerian-American writer that specializes in Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism , did not start her life with intentions of becoming a writer. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Nnedi thrived in her athletic career during her time at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, IL. Athleticism ran in the family, as her mother was a member of the Nigerian Olympic javelin team and her father was a famous hurdler in Africa. Nnedi was a nationally known tennis and track star and was even named the Illinois Athlete of the Year.
Nnedi's trajectory in life was severely altered when she woke up one morning and realized that she could not move. She was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 13, and at age 19, she was admitted to the hospital because of complications in her spine that caused paralysis from her waist down. She underwent spinal fusion surgery that she never fully recovered from, ending her athletic career forever. During recovery, a close friend suggested that Nnedi should take a creative writing class, and the rest was history.
After graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, she pursued a master's degree in journalism from Michigan State and a master's degree and a PhD in English from the University of Illinois Chicago
Her Work
Nnedi has worked with a multitude of mediums during her award-winning literary career. She has worked on short stories, novels, novellas, screenplay adaptations, and graphic novels.
Many of her works have very similar themes and connecting influences. Inspired by her West African heritage, along with her American life, many of her works have multicultural tones in them. She speaks of the importance of her dual heritage often, such as in this interview with NPR. Frustrated with the lack of diversity in fantasy and science fiction, she decided to write these genres set in Africa. She speaks extensively about this topic on the TED stage.
Find Her
Nnedi is very active on social media. You can find her posting about her daughter, their cat, her writing, and her other passions. Most recently, she has posted a photo on her social media about meeting with George R.R. Martin on the Who Fears Death HBO adaptation.
Social Media
- Twitter: @nnedi
- Facebook: Who Fears Death
- Instagram: @nnediokorafor
- Website: http://nnedi.com
Her Novels
- Lagoon
- Who Fears Death
- The Book of the Phoenix
- The Binti Trilogy
- Chicken in the Kitchen
- Kabu Kabu
- The Akata Series
- Zahrah the Windseeker
- The Shadow Speaker
- Long Juju Man
- Broken Places & Outer Spaces
- Ikenga (due 2020)
Her Graphic Novels
- LaGuardia
- Black Panther: Long Live the King
- Shuri
- Wakanda Forever
- Antar: The Black Night
Awards
- 2005 — The Strange Horizons Reader's Choice Award for Stephen King's Super-Duper Magical Negroes
- 2007 — 2008 — Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa for Long Juju Man
- 2008 — Carl Brandon Parallax Award for The Shadow Speaker
- 2008 — The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature for Zahrah the Windseeker
- 2012 — The 2012 Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature (Fiction) for Zahrah the Windseeker
- 2012 — Kindred Award for Who Fears Death
- 2011 — The World Fantasy Award (Best Novel) for Who Fears Death
- 2016 — The Nebula Award (Best Novella) for Binti
- 2016 — Children's Africana Book Award for Best Book for Young Readers for Chicken in the Kitchen
- 2016 — The Hugo Award for Best Novella for Binti
- 2018 — The Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel for Akata Warrior
- 2018 — The Lodestar Award for Akata Warrior
This page compiled by Madeline Wilson.