Ukamaka Evelyn Olisakwe (born 24 October 1982) is a Nigerian feminist author, short-story writer, and screenwriter. In 2014 she was chosen as one of 39 of Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising writers under the age of 40, showcased in the Africa39 project[1] and included in the anthology Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara (edited by Ellah Allfrey).[2][3][4]

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Personal life and education

Ukamaka Evelyn Olisakwe was born and raised in Kano State, Northern Nigeria.[5] Her parents are from Eastern Nigeria. She completed her secondary education in Northern Nigeria and subsequently earned a degree in Computer Science from Abia State Polytechnic, in Aba, Nigeria.[6]

She is married to Nwanosike Olisakwe and they live in Eastern Nigeria with their three children.

Writing career

Olisakwe's debut novel, Eyes of a Goddess, was published in 2012.[7]

She has written numerous short stories and articles, most of which have appeared in blogs and online journals, including Olisa.tv, Saraba, Sentinel Nigeria and Short Story Day Africa.[8] She has been featured in the BBC. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and various magazines including the Nigerian Telegraph and African Hadithi.[9] She wrote the screenplay for The Calabash,[10] a television series produced and directed by Obi Emelonye and premiered in January 2015 on Africa Magic Showcase.[11] Olisakwe administers the blog for the "Writivism Mentorship Programme", a project of the Centre for African Cultural Excellence, and was a co-facilitator at the Lagos Workshop.[12] She was a guest and panel member at the 2014 Ake Arts and Books Festival[13][14] and the Hay Festival.[15] She was also a delegate at the 8th Pan African Congress, which was held in Ghana.

Olisakwe was selected as one of the 39 most promising writers under the age of 40 from Sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora, in the Africa39 project[16] – a Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club initiative in celebration of the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 – and is included in the anthology Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara (edited by Ellah Allfrey). Olisakwe's contribution, "This Is How I Remember it", was described by one reviewer as "a clear-eyed account of a girl's romantic awakening in Nigeria" and a story "so good it leaves us wanting more",[17] while another reviewer described it as a "gripping story about adolescent romance, deception and yearning".[18]

In 2016, Olisakwe was a resident at the University of Iowa's International Writing Program.[6] In 2018, Ukamaka won the Vermont College of Fine Arts Emerging Writers Scholarship to pursue an MFA in Writing and Publishing.[19]

Lectures

Olisakwe was a guest at the 2015 Writivism Festival in Kampala, Uganda, where she taught a fiction master-class.[20] On 28 May 2015, she spoke on how "You Could Stop The Next Maternal Death Statistic" at TEDxGarki.[21]

Isele Magazine

In July 2020, Olisakwe founded Isele Magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Recognition

• 2014: Listed among Africa39 project of 39 writers aged under 40.^{[citation needed]}
• 2014: Listed among This Is Africa's "Best 100 Books 2010–2014" for Eyes of a Goddess.[22]

Selected writing

Novels

• — (2012). Eyes of a Goddess. Piraeus Books. ISBN 9780985203818.
• — (2020) Ogadinma, or Everything Will Be All Right. The Indigo Press.

Short stories

• — (May 2011). "Girl to Woman". Sentinel Nigeria.[23]
• — (October 2014). "This is how I remember it". Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara.[24]

Articles

• — (2013). "Of Rising and the Home-Based Nigerian Writer". Saraba. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014.
• — (11 March 2014). "The North is Dead". African Hadithi.
• — (1 December 2014). "Growing Up Fearful in Nigeria". The New York Times.
• — (8 April 2015). "In Nigeria,an Election to Believe In". The New York Times.

References