Uwem Akpan

About

Uwem Akpan is a Nigerian writer and Jesuit priest born in Ikot Akpan Eda, in Akwa Ibom State, southern Nigeria. He studied philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities before undertaking theological studies at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Michigan. His debut book, Say You’re One of Them, was published in 2008 and selected for Oprah’s Book Club in 2009. The collection received the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in the Africa region and the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, among other honours. His short story My Parents’ Bedroom was also a finalist for the 2007 Caine Prize for African Writing. Akpan’s fiction often centres on children and families living through poverty, violence, and social upheaval. His work brings attention to the human consequences of political and religious conflict while exploring the resilience people display in the face of extraordinary hardship. His second book, New York, My Village, was published in 2021 and explores immigration, identity, and the experiences of an African writer in the United States.