Uwem Akpan

Uwem Akpan (born May 19, 1971) 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] It won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize,[2] the PEN Open Book Award,[3] and was picked by the Oprah Winfrey Book Club on September 17, 2009.[4]

Uwem Akpan, at the University of San Francisco.

Life

Uwem Akpan was born in Ikot Akpan Eda in southern Nigeria; his parents were teachers. He and his three brothers grew up speaking both English and Annang. After studying humanities and philosophy at Creighton University and Gonzaga University, he received a theology degree from the Catholic University of East Africa in Kenya. Uwem is also a graduate of the University of Michigan's MFA program.[5]

In 2009, Oprah Winfrey recommended Uwem Akpan's Say You’re One of Them as her 63rd book club selection.[6] Akpan said he was humbled to learn his debut collection of short stories had caught Winfrey's eye. Winfrey said that Say You're One of Them (published by Little, Brown, 2008), "left [her] stunned and profoundly moved.[7]" The five short stories give voice to an African child growing up in the face of incredible adversity.[8]

Entertainment Weekly put the book on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying: "Against all odds, the Nigerian priest's searing African stories from 2008 imparted both joy and hope."[9]

Works
  • Say You're One of Them. Hachette. 2008. ISBN 978-0-316-11378-6.
  • Antes de ir a Gabón. Intermón Oxfam Editorial. ISBN 978-84-8452-654-4.

Award
  • Commonwealth Writers' Prize[10]
  • PEN Open Book Award[11]
  • Winner of the 2009 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award[12]
  • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction[13]
  • Nominated for the Guardian First Book Award[14]
  • Nominated for the Caine Prize for African Writing[15]
  • Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in the Fiction Category[16]
  • Longlisted for the Story Prize[17]

References
  1. Maslin, Janet (2008-06-27). "As Africa's Horrors Rage, Suffer the Little Children". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  2. "Dayton Literary Peace Prize - Uwem Akpan, 2009 Fiction Runner-Up". www.daytonliterarypeaceprize.org. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  3. "Uwem Akpan, Author Info, Published Books, Bio, Photo, Video, and More". AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  4. "Oprah Chooses 'Say You're One of Them' for her 63rd Book Club Pick". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  5. "Uwem Akpan, Oprah's new favorite writer, got his start in the University's MFA program". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  6. "Oprah Winfrey Selects Nigerian Author's Story Collection for Book Club | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  7. "Amazing Grace". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  8. National Catholic Reporter, 2 October 2009, 4.
  9. "100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, and Trends that entertained us over the past 10 years", Entertainment Weekly (1079/1080), pp. 74-84. December 11, 2009.
  10. "About the Author of Say You're One of Them". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  11. "New Global Africa: Confrontation and Connections | Literary Arts Program". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  12. "Hurston/Wright Foundation | Uwem Akpan". Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  13. Akpan, Uwem (2014-06-23). "The PEN Ten with Uwem Akpan". PEN America. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  14. "Say You're One Of Them By Uwem Akpan". www.sunshinenigeria.com. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  15. "Uwem Akpan". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  16. "Uwem Akpan, SJ". Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  17. Akpan, Uwem (2008-08-28). "The guardian first book award longlist: Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
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