Africa’s Rising Literary Stars | Meet Akwaeke Emezi

The literary hustle is tough. That’s why we have nothing but mad love and respect for our African writers, both aspiring and established, who inspire us daily with their work and their passion for documenting our stories. 

To show these writers some good ‘ole Brittle Paper love, we are launching a new series to celebrate their successes. 

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Our featured writer is Akwaeke Emezi. She is of Nigerian and Malaysian heritage, grew up in Aba, and currently lives in the US.

We’ve had our eyes on Emezi for quite a while and knew she was going to excel—long before our dear Binyavanga Wainaina declared on Facebook: “This young woman, Akwaeke Emezi is about to make it big as a writer.”

Emezi is talented. Part writer, part filmmaker, she is an artist through and through. Her short film titled Ududeagu — A must-watch!—is an experimental take on Igbo folklore. [Watch HERE]

Of course, the big news this week is that she has joined the client list of The Wylie Agency. She broke the news via Facebook and Twitter a few day ago. This is huge. As far as literary agencies go, Wylie is royalty. They represent everyone from Salman Rushdie to Al Gore.

As a Wylie girl, Emezi and Chimamanda Adichie are now agency mates. They are also represented by the same literary agent, Sarah Chalfant.

Within the African literary circles, this puts Emezi in very high-profile company. Wylie Agency represents Achebe’s estates, Teju Cole, Taiye Selasi, Binyavanga Wainaina, Yvonne Owuor, Noviolet Bulawayo, E. C. Osondu, Helen Oyeymi, and so on—pretty much any one who is anyone in the African literary scene.

We are particularly delighted with Emezi’s rise in the African literary community given that exactly two years ago, we published a short fiction by her titled “Threshold.” To think that she is now well on her way to becoming an established voice in the community is heartwarming.

Here is a selection of her published work to give you a sense of her style and voice.

Emezi is a Farafina Creative Writing Workshop alumni.  So, yes, she has met Adichie, and, yes, there were fireworks.  Adichie even doodled a sketch of Emezi. And, yes, Emezi promptly had the sketch framed. As you can see in the image below, which she shared on Facebook.

Congrats to Emezi for snagging a Wylie agency rep. Keep writing! We wish your the best and look forward to reading more of your work.

To learn more about her:

Visit her www.azemezi.com

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Image via Akwaeke Emezi’s Facebook Page