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Uwem Akpan

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Uwem Akpan, image from a reading at the University of San Francisco.
Uwem Akpan, at the University of San Francisco

Uwem Akpan listenⓘ is a Nigerian writer. He is the author of Say You're One of Them (2008), a collection of five stories (each set in a different African country) published by Little, Brown & Company.[1]

His debut collection won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa Region),[2] the PEN Open Book Prize,[3] and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and was picked by the Oprah Winfrey Book Club.[4] A New York Times and Wall Street Journal No. 1 bestseller, the book has been translated into 12 languages.[5]

Two months later, Oprah interviewed Akpan in Chicago as part of her bookclub event. Anderson Cooper also gave short commentaries there on some of the African countries in this book. The interview was streamed live simultaneously from Oprah.com, Facebook and CNN.[6]

Akpan's second book, New York, My Village (2021), was published by W. W. Norton. The book was picked by Strand Bookstore as their Pick of the Month for November 2021.[7]

Life

He was born and grew up in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. There he attended Saint Paul's Primary School, Ekparakwa; Methodist Primary School, Usung Ibong; and Saint Anne's Primary School, Ifuho. His secondary education was at Queen of Apostles, Afaha Obong. Akpan grew up listening to Annang folktales told by his mom and grandparents,, and aunties and uncles. The Bible and the horrific experience of the Biafran War provided other avenues for stories.

When he learned to read in primary school, Akpan transferred his love for stories to books. When teachers went on strike while he was in Primary Five in the early 1980s, it made no difference to him, as he kept on reading. After studying humanities and philosophy at Creighton University and Gonzaga University in the United States, he received a theology degree from the Catholic University of East Africa in Kenya. In 2003, Akpan was ordained a Jesuit priest.[8]

Akpan returned to the US for graduate study, earning a MFA in 2006 at the University of Michigan. He had already begun to develop the stories he later published in his first book. [9]

In 2008 his first book, a collection of short stories entitled Say You're One of Them, was published. It made the Best of the Year list at The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), People magazine, and other media. The New York Times selected it as the Editor's Choice, and Entertainment Weekly listed it as No. 27 in their Best of the Decade. It won numerous awards and was nominated for others, as noted in the section "Awards" below. It made the bestseller lists at The New York Times and WSJ.

In 2009, Oprah Winfrey selected Akpan's Say You're One of Them as her 63rd book club choice.[10] Oprah said that Say You're One of Them "left [her] stunned and profoundly moved."[11] The five short stories and novellas give voice to African children growing up in five different nations, in the face of incredible adversity.[12]

The success of his book enabled Akpan to have numerous writing fellowships in the United States. Between 2010 and 2017, he was a Fellow at the Black Mountain Institute (University of Nevada, Las Vegas); [[Institute for the Humanities] (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor); Yaddo (Saratoga Springs, New York); the Cullman Center of the New York Public Library (NYC, New York); and the Hank Center for Catholic Heritage (Loyola University Chicago, 2017).[citation needed]

In 2015, Akpan left the Catholic priesthood to focus more time on his writing.[13]

Akpan now teaches in the University of Florida's writing program, and lives in Gainesville, Florida. He published his second book, the novel New York, My Village (2021), with W. W. Norton.

Works

  • Say You're One of Them. Hachette. 2008. ISBN 978-0-316-11378-6.
  • New York, My Village. W. W. Norton, Nov 2021. ISBN 978-0-393-88142-4

Awards

Representation in other media

Singer/songwriter Angélique Kidjo was inspired by Akpan's first book to write the song "Agbalagba". It became a global hit.[22]

References

  1. ^ Maslin, Janet (27 June 2008). "As Africa's Horrors Rage, Suffer the Little Children". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Dayton Literary Peace Prize - Uwem Akpan, 2009 Fiction Runner-Up". Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Uwem Akpan, Author Info, Published Books, Bio, Photo, Video, and More". AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. ^ Carlson, Jen (18 September 2009). "Oprah Takes Her Show to Central Park". Gothamist. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  5. ^ Meanley, Erin (18 September 2009). "This Couple Was Married For 81 Years! And Other Reasons I'm No Longer in a Hurry To Find Someone". Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Biography of author Uwem Akpan, author of New York, My Village and Say You're One of Them, Oprah Book Club selection". www.uwemakpan.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  7. ^ "The Strand Pick of the Month". Strand Bookstore. November 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  8. ^ "African author Uwem Akpan says humbled by Oprah pick". Reuters. 21 September 2009.
  9. ^ Akpan, Uwem. "Uwem Akpan, Oprah's new favorite writer, got his start in the University's MFA program". The Michigan Daily (Interview). Interviewed by Andrew Lapin. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Oprah Winfrey Selects Nigerian Author's Story Collection for Book Club | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Amazing Grace". Oprah.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  12. ^ National Catholic Reporter, 2 October 2009, 4.
  13. ^ "archive: Uwem Akpan: Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage: Loyola University Chicago". www.luc.edu. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  14. ^ "About the Author of Say You're One of Them". Oprah.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  15. ^ "New Global Africa: Confrontation and Connections | Literary Arts Program". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Hurston/Wright Foundation | Uwem Akpan". Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  17. ^ "Uwem Akpan, SJ". Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  18. ^ Akpan, Uwem (23 June 2014). "The PEN Ten with Uwem Akpan". PEN America. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Say You're One Of Them By Uwem Akpan". www.sunshinenigeria.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  20. ^ Akpan, Uwem (28 August 2008). "The Guardian first book award longlist: Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Uwem Akpan". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  22. ^ Mullins, Lisa (10 June 2008). "Global Hit: Angelique Kidjo - Uwem Akpan". Public Radio International. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
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