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Nnedi Okorafor

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Biography

Nnedimma Nkemdili Okorafor, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1974 to Nigerian parents, holds both American and Nigerian citizenship. Raised in Chicago as the third of four siblings, she often visited Nigeria during holidays. Despite her early interest in entomology, Okorafor’s life took a different turn when she was diagnosed with scoliosis at 13. At 19, she underwent spinal fusion surgery, which resulted in paralysis from the waist down. During her recovery, Okorafor turned to writing, initially scribbling stories in the margins of a science-fiction book. Encouraged by a friend, she took a creative writing class, leading her to write her first novel. She continued her education, earning a master’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and a master’s degree and PhD in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She is also a graduate of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Today, Nnedi Okorafor resides in Arizona with her family, marking a remarkable journey from her challenging health condition to becoming a renowned author.

News / Ranking / Titbits / Awards

Shortly after winning the World Fantasy Award in 2011, Okorafor published an essay “Lovecraft’s racism & The World Fantasy Award statuette, with comments from China Miéville”, in which she reflected upon her conflicting emotions on winning an award in the shape of a large silver bust of H. P. Lovecraft. 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 – Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa for Zahrah the Windseeker. 2012 – Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature (Fiction) for Zahrah the Windseeker. 2015 – African Literary Person of the Year from Brittle Paper. 2016 – Children’s Africana Book Award for Best Book for Young Readers for Chicken in the Kitchen. Mathical Honors for Binti.

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