EVENT | Chinelo Okparanta in Conversation With Arao Ameny and Helon Habila About Harry Sylvester Bird | October 9

September 30, 2022

Award-winning Nigerian author Chinelo Okparanta will be engaging in conversation with Arao Ameny and Helon Habila about her recently published novel Harry Sylvester Bird at the bookstore Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. on October 9.

The event will be held to celebrate the publication of Harry Sylvester Bird, Okparanta’s new novel that explores racial identity and white privilege through satire and humor. The main character, Harry Sylvester Bird, grows up in a small town in Pennsylvania and does not identify with his racist parents or the whiteness he is surrounded by. He and moves to New York City for college where he falls in love with a young Nigerian woman, Maryam. But Harry is soon forced to reckon with his whiteness and identity when differences arise between the couple.

Okparanta will be discussing her novel with Ugandan author Arao Ameny and Nigerian novelist Helon Habila at the event. We are sure the conversation will reveal intriguing insights about Harry Sylvester Bird and the state of racial identity and white privilege in the United States. The event will be held in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., at the Busboys and Poets bookstore.

Named after Langston Hughes’ diverse careers, Busboys and Poets is a bookstore, restaurant, bar, and community gathering place. It was first established in 2005 by artist Andy Shallal as a cultural hub for creatives, activists, writers, and dreamers.

If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, please sign up for the event below and attend what is sure to be a fascinating conversation about Okparanta’s provocative new novel!