Nnedi Okorafor's Blog
August 23, 2009
August 12, 2009
July 6, 2009
June 29, 2009
May 4, 2009
April 1, 2009
March 19, 2009
The paperback of my 2nd novel, The Shadow Speaker, will be available on March 24th, 2009. Please contact me through my Myspace page or website if you are interested in a signed copy.
A little about the book:
Niger, West Africa, 2070: After a nuclear fallout in the early twenty-first century, the earth's civilization has been completely transformed. Magic, mysticism, and mind-blowing technology now rule the world. In West Africa, fourteen-year old Ejii struggles to master her own magical powers. When her world is completely upended after she witnesses her father's death, Ejii faces a unique opportunity to explore her power and realize her destiny. But is she ready for the responsibility that comes along with that? Embarking on a journey across the Sahara, Ejii befriends new allies and battles dangerous foes. It soon becomes clear that her people need to be protected from a terrible force seeking to annihilate them. And Ejii may just be their last hope for survival. Fast-paced and full of tender friendships and thrilling action, this futuristic adventure heralds a bright new talent in young adult science fiction.
Here are a few character sketches that my illustrator brother (Emezie Okorafor) did of Ejii Ugabe, Dikeogu Obidimkpa and the mysterious and tricky Desert Magician:
Ejii
After witnessing the beheading of her father, she was appalled to realize...she was happy.
Dikeogu
If you'd been through what he's been through, you would dispise chocolate, too. And you would also fear the skies.
The Desert Magician
He finds water where there is none.
Watch for the book trailer for The Shadow Speaker in a few days, also designed by my brother.
Buy The Shadow Speaker at Anderson’s Bookshop, Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, Powell’s, and many other book-loving places.
A little about the book:
Niger, West Africa, 2070: After a nuclear fallout in the early twenty-first century, the earth's civilization has been completely transformed. Magic, mysticism, and mind-blowing technology now rule the world. In West Africa, fourteen-year old Ejii struggles to master her own magical powers. When her world is completely upended after she witnesses her father's death, Ejii faces a unique opportunity to explore her power and realize her destiny. But is she ready for the responsibility that comes along with that? Embarking on a journey across the Sahara, Ejii befriends new allies and battles dangerous foes. It soon becomes clear that her people need to be protected from a terrible force seeking to annihilate them. And Ejii may just be their last hope for survival. Fast-paced and full of tender friendships and thrilling action, this futuristic adventure heralds a bright new talent in young adult science fiction.
Here are a few character sketches that my illustrator brother (Emezie Okorafor) did of Ejii Ugabe, Dikeogu Obidimkpa and the mysterious and tricky Desert Magician:
Ejii
After witnessing the beheading of her father, she was appalled to realize...she was happy.
Dikeogu
If you'd been through what he's been through, you would dispise chocolate, too. And you would also fear the skies.
The Desert Magician
He finds water where there is none.
Watch for the book trailer for The Shadow Speaker in a few days, also designed by my brother.
Buy The Shadow Speaker at Anderson’s Bookshop, Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, Powell’s, and many other book-loving places.
March 8, 2009
Living in a World of Fantasy
By Jumoke Verissimo
If Sam Jordison's article in The Guardian U.K. is a yardstick for deciding who is deserving of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa (2008), then perhaps Nnedi Okorafor has done the impossible.
What can be inferred from his piece is that as a writer, Okorafor has committed two offences. First, the book, Zahrah the Windseeker is a book in the young adult fiction genre. Second, it is fantasy! And to top it all with Jordison's own comment: "The ‘African Nobel' has gone to a fantasy novel for teenagers. Shame it could never win a Booker."
However, reading Zahrah the Windseeker, gives a clear understanding, that those turning away from genre specific fiction, may actually be missing out. Okorafor explains that she has in the past encountered such "sneers". When entering her novel for the 2008 award, she didn't check to see if a writer of fantasy and speculative fiction would be ineligible.
Okorafor, whose nationality lies between Nigeria and America, at a book reading session held by her Nigerian publisher, Farafina sometime ago, expressed how heart-warming coming to Nigeria is for her. "I've been kind of doing my thing in the USA, that award (the Wole Soyinka Prize), made the connection."
For her, the homecoming was like "receiving an embrace from Nigeria." And, being one who is used to American critics, she looks forward to receiving recognition from Nigeria, which she believes will help balance the criticism she has received since winning the award.
Coming home from the US, first for the award and second for the Farafina event, has been an eye opener to the vibrant literary community in Nigeria. She smiles as she says how stimulating it is, to read to a group of Nigerians who love literature. "It is one of the coolest things. It makes sense." Homecoming is also an eye-opener in other ways.
The author had in the past seen her writing primarily in terms of the feedback from her American audience. The award, and publication in Nigeria, helped cement what she calls ‘the African connection'.
Read the rest of the article here: http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Nex...
