The novelist and professor Chika Unigwe. Image from Chika Unigwe’s Facebook.

African writers who are professors seem to have a knack for effortlessly winning the hearts of their students. In 2013, Bernard Matambo’s students moved a petition to prolong his tenure. Two weeks ago, Bernardine Evaristo received an award based on her students’ ratings at Brunel University. And recently, Chika Unigwe received a special letter from one of her students at Brown University where she is the Bonderman Professor of Creative Writing.

Shy in person, with their name unattached, the student, however, showed no shyness with her observation about Unigwe’s teaching, writing and fashion since Unigwe joined the faculty in May of last year.

“I am a fond admirer of you—as a writer, teacher, and person,” the student wrote. “I also love your hairstyles and outfits—you have style in prose and apparel.”

See the full letter below.

The letter from Chika Unigwe’s student.

And we totally agree with her student!

In February of this year, Unigwe organised a festival of African writers in the university that saw Chinelo Okparanta, Namwali Serpell, Uwem Akpan, E.C. Osondu and Okey Ndibe partake in a panel discussion.

Keep rocking, Chika!