Chinelo okparanta biography of albert

Chinelo Okparanta

Nigerian-American writer

Chinelo Okparantapronunciationⓘ (born ) is a Nigerian-American author and short-story writer.[1] She was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where she was raised[2] in abeyance the age of 10, as she emigrated to the Banded together States with her family.[3]

Early life

Chinelo Okparanta was born in Niggardly Harcourt, Nigeria, and at decency age of 10 migrated state her family to the Fraudulent. She was educated at Penn State University (Schreyer Honors College), Rutgers University and the Ioway Writers' Workshop.[2]

Career

Okparanta has published hence stories in publications including Granta,[4]The New Yorker, Tin House, The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, TriQuarterly, Conjunctions, Subtropics and The Coffin Factory. Her essays conspiracy appeared in AGNI, The Account Prize blog, and the Establishment of Iowa, International Writing Syllabus blog.[5] Okparanta has held fellowships or visiting professorships at Representation University of Iowa, Colgate Habit, Purdue University, City College detect New York, and Columbia University.[6] She was associate professor disparage English & Creative Writing (Fiction) at Bucknell University, where she was also C. Graydon & Mary E. Rogers Faculty Digging Fellow as well as Margaret Hollinshead Ley Professor in Meaning & Creative Writing until She is currently associate professor clone English and Director of say publicly Program in Creative Writing differ Swarthmore College.[7]

Her debut short-story quota, Happiness, Like Water (Granta Books and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), was longlisted for the Frank Writer International Short Story Award,[8] precise finalist for the New Dynasty Public LibraryYoung Lions Fiction Award,[9] and won the Lambda Storybook Award for Lesbian Fiction.[10] She has been nominated for splendid United States Artists Fellowship[11] beam was a finalist for class Rolex Mentor and Protégé Discipline Initiative in Literature.[12] Other honors include the Society of Town Authors Award (finalist),[13] the Caine Prize for African Writing (finalist), and more.[14]

Her short story "Fairness" was included in The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, among 20 short stories of this year.[15]

Happiness, Like Water was an Editors' Choice for The New Dynasty Times Book Review on Sep 20, [16] The collection was also listed as one doomed The Guardian's Best African Novel of ,[17] and in Dec was announced as being a-one finalist for the Nigerian Etisalat Prize for Literature.[18][19]

Her first narration, Under the Udala Trees, was published in The New Royalty Times reviewer called Okparanta "a graceful and precise writer",[20] good turn The Guardian (UK) describes rank book as "a gripping latest about a young gay woman's coming of age in Nigeria during the Nigerian civil war" in which "Okparanta deftly negotiates a balance between a affection story and a war story."[21]

Under the Udala Trees was clean New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice[22] as well despite the fact that a nominee for the Kirkus Reviews Prize in Fiction.[23] Make sure of of NPR's "Best Books imitation ", it also made greatness BuzzFeed, The Wall Street Journal, The Millions, Bustle, Shelf Knowing, and Publishers Lunch "Best of"[24] and "Most Anticipated" lists, centre of others. It was long-listed fulfill the Center for Fiction Rule Novel Prize,[25] nominated for integrity NAACP Image Award for Unattended to Literary Work of Fiction,[26] chosen for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Present in Fiction,[27] a finalist dilemma the Publishing Triangle Literary Distinction (the Ferro-Grumley Award),[28] a semi-finalist for the VCU Cabell Gain victory Novelist Award,[29] long-listed for righteousness Chautauqua Prize,[citation needed] and won the Lambda Literary Award mass the General Lesbian Fiction category.[30]

Under the Udala Trees also won the Jessie Redmon Fauset Finished Award in Fiction[31] and was a Amelia Bloomer Project Choice of the American Library Association.[32] It was also shortlisted support the International Dublin Literary Award.[33]

In , Okparanta won the Advertising Triangle's inaugural Betty Berzon Rising Writer Award.[34]

Pulse Nigeria named Under the Udala Trees one manager its 10 Outstanding Nigerian Books for [35]YNaija listed it sort one of its Ten Principal Notable Books of [36]Afridiaspora catalogued it as one of rendering Best African Novels of [37]

In April , Okparanta was chosen by Granta for their once upon a time in a decade Best friendly Young American Novelists list.[38][39]

Her layout "Trump in the Classroom" assessment included in the anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited make wet Margaret Busby.[40]


Legacy

Chinelo Okparanta has archaic credited for being a titleist for marginalized and underprivileged voices throughout her career by blue blood the gentry novelist, Helon Habila.[41]

Okparanta’s three books, “Happiness Like Water,” “Under position Udala Tree,” and her well-nigh recent, “Harry Sylvester Bird” enjoy championed the stories of LGBTQ community and people of quality through local insider perspective abide interracial outsider perspectives.

The principal notable thing about Okparanta decay that began writing about these demographics in the time conj at the time that it was dangerous to gettogether so especially from around Nigeria. Her courage in telling attend story is a contrast strip her gentle and retreating mind, hence in a profile recover the Open Country Magazine inured to Paula Willie-Okafor, Okparanta was labelled, “The Gentle Defier.”

African Novelist, NoViolet Bulawayo considers Okparanta,

“…a formidable force.” In her give explanation, “She [Okparanta] doesn’t tell acquiescent stories, she tells necessary, yet earth-shifting ones—the initial reception hill Under the Udala Trees assignment a good case of grandeur impact of her work. Astonishment know a writer is really doing their job right as they make people lose their shit. They are also know-how an even more important business when they make others likely. In choosing to tell humanizing stories that defied the literate trends and silence around Continent queer life, Chinelo became break off important part of the do your best why we are today pretend a position to celebrate blue blood the gentry flourishing of writing that accurately holds African queerness to character sun.”[42]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^Mythili Rao, "Chinelo Okparanta: Warrior of the Stifled". The Common Beast, August 19,
  2. ^ abRae Winkelstein-Duveneck, "Religion, The Bible, put up with Personal Morality: An Interview go one better than Chinelo Okparanta", The Iowa Review, March 19,
  3. ^Ligaya Mishan, "How She Left: 'Happiness, Like Water,' by Chinelo Okparanta" (review), The New York Times Book Review, September 15,
  4. ^"Chinelo Okparanta". Granta. Retrieved May 28,
  5. ^Munllonch, Montse Domínguez i (July 11, ). "Books to read and watch. Under the Udala Trees get ahead of Chinelo Okparanta.⁠". misitio. Retrieved May well 28,
  6. ^"New Voices in Fable Reading by Chinelo Okparanta | UChicago Arts | The Further education college of Chicago". . Retrieved Might 28,
  7. ^"Swarthmore College Bulletin - Course Catalog. English Literature". Retrieved July 7,
  8. ^Dennis-Benn, Nicole Sarcastic. (July 22, ). "Chinelo Okparanta: Interview". Mosaic Literary Magazine. Retrieved May 29,
  9. ^Services, UH Libraries Web (February 13, ). "Poetry and Prose February 20 | University of Houston Libraries". Retrieved May 29,
  10. ^Charles, Ron (June 2, ). "Lambda Awards accept best lesbian, gay, bisexual pole transgender books". The Washington Post.
  11. ^"Chinelo Okparanta". PEN America. March 7, Retrieved May 29,
  12. ^"Lambda Pedantic Leadership Archives | Lambda Literary". Retrieved May 29,
  13. ^"Celebrated verdant author to speak at PSU". pittstate. October 7, Retrieved Might 29,
  14. ^Brown, Keira (July 16, ). "The Missing Women fanatic the Caine Prize". For Books' Sake. Archived from the imaginative on August 21,
  15. ^"The Ormation. Henry Prize Stories | Chinelo Okparanto", Author Spotlight, Random House.
  16. ^Mishan, Ligaya (September 13, ). "How She Left". The New Royalty Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved May 29,
  17. ^Afritorial; Network, part of goodness Guardian Africa (December 17, ). "Best African fiction of ". The Guardian. ISSN&#; Retrieved The fifth month or expressing possibility 29,
  18. ^Sam-Duru, Prisca; Princewill Ekwujuru (March 11, ). "Who golds Etisalat Prize for Literature ?". Vanguard News. Retrieved May 29,
  19. ^"Candidates announced for Etisalat Accolade for Literature", The Nation, Dec 14,
  20. ^Carol Anshaw, "'Under honesty Udala Trees,' by Chinelo Okparanta" (Sunday Book ), The Another York Times, October 23,
  21. ^Anjali Enjeti, "Under the Udala Copse by Chinelo Okparanta review – love in the time get a hold Biafra", The Guardian, September 24,
  22. ^Okparanta, Chinelo (September 22, ). Under the Udala Trees. HarperCollins. ISBN&#;.
  23. ^The New Yorker (September 14, ). "The National Book Fame Longlist: Fiction". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 30,
  24. ^Publishers Sup, Favorite Books of , Implant the News Editor
  25. ^Clift, Elayne. "Under the Udala Trees: A Novel". . Retrieved May 30,
  26. ^"Africa's Young Literary Stars". The Unmarried Story Foundation. August 15, Retrieved May 30,
  27. ^"Hurston/Wright Foundation | Hurston/Wright Foundation Announces Legacy Awards". October 24, Retrieved May 30,
  28. ^"The Ferro–Grumley Awards". The Declaration Triangle. Retrieved May 30,
  29. ^" News | First Novelist Semifinalists | VCU Libraries". . Retrieved May 30,
  30. ^"Award Winners | Oakland Public Library". . Retrieved May 30, [permanent dead link&#;]
  31. ^"Clarke's Books". . Archived from rectitude original on February 24, Retrieved May 30,
  32. ^" Permafrost Hardcover Prize in Fiction – Permafrost Magazine". Retrieved May 30,
  33. ^"Under the Udala Trees | shortlist!". International Dublin Literary Award. Sep 3, Retrieved May 30,
  34. ^York, Carnegie Corporation of New. "Chinelo Okparanta". Carnegie Corporation of Recent York. Retrieved May 30,
  35. ^"10 outstanding Nigerian books for that year"Archived April 23, , slate the Wayback Machine, Pulse, Dec 16,
  36. ^Wilfred Okichie, "#YNAIJAREVIEW: Class FISHERMEN, BLACKASS, UNDER THE UDALA TREE… THE 10 MOST Stiff BOOKS OF ", YNaija, Dec 13,
  37. ^Tolu Daniel, "The Afridiaspora List – The Best Human Novels of ", Afridiaspora, Dec 22,
  38. ^"Granta Best of Juvenile American Novelists 3", Granta, Fountain
  39. ^"Granta's list of the superb young American novelists", The Guardian, April 26,
  40. ^Delgado, Anjanette (May 6, ). "New Daughters uphold Africa: An International Anthology wink Writing by Women of Human Descent". New York Journal reproduce Books.
  41. ^Willie-Okafor, Paula (December 13, ). "Cover Story: Chinelo Okparanta, Iconic Storyteller of Queer Femininity, officiate Writing Race and Defying Convention". Open Country Mag. Retrieved Jan 20,
  42. ^Willie-Okafor, Paula (December 13, ). "Cover Story: Chinelo Okparanta, Iconic Storyteller of Queer Trait, on Writing Race and Defying Convention". Open Country Mag. Retrieved July 11,
  43. ^Whittaker, Nicholas (July 12, ). "'Harry Sylvester Bird' Is a Satire of Antiracist Art". The New York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved July 11,

Further reading

External links

  • Official website
  • Boen Wang, "Penn State alumna Okparanta reads strand stories at Foster", Daily Collegian, November 7,
  • [1]
  • "'Everyone Should Examine An Artist, I Think.' Chaste Interview With Chinelo Okparanta", Short Story Day Africa, March 23,
  • Sarah Ládípọ̀ Manyika, "The Nigerian-American Writer Who Takes On Taboos", , December 19,
  • "Emmanuel Sigauke Interviews Chinelo Okparanta", Munyori Literate Journal,
  • Under the Udala disreputable, summary, Publishers Weekly,
  • Melissa Mordi, "Chinelo Okparanta - the Influence of Women, Writing and Print Women" (interview), The Guardian (Nigeria), 11 March