For those of you who are desperately and constantly in search of African children’s books, Wanuri Kahiu’s recent collaboration with Lantana Publishing is a gift. The book, written by Kenyan writer and filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, is titled The Wooden Camel. It tells the story of Etabo, a Turkana boy living in the Northwest of Kenya, […]
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Nnedi Okorafor Lands Yet Another High-profile Deal with Marvel Comics
In the wake of her HBO deal and a comic short with Marvel’s Vernomverse imprint, Okorafor lands yet another high-profile deal with Marvel. The highly anticipated Black Panther movies comes out next year on February 9. To keep fans excited about the release, Marvel has asked the Hugo and Nebula award wining novelist Okorafor to […]
Why It’s Okay to Be Sad That Ngugi Didn’t Win the 2017 Nobel Prize
Kazuo Ishiguro wins the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature. I have since read all the think-pieces and seen all the videos. He is such an adorable man. All the stuff he said about thinking it was a hoax until his publisher called him and the BBC called him. How charming. I like Ighiguro a whole […]
Announcing the Brittle Paper Literary Awards: The Shortlists
August 1, 2017 was Brittle Paper‘s seventh anniversary. In celebration of this milestone, we are launching the Brittle Paper Literary Awards, to recognize the finest, original pieces of African writing published online. The awards come in five categories: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Essays/Think Pieces, and the Anniversary Award for works published on our blog. The winners in the fiction, […]
Imbolo Mbue: Brittle Paper Interview | The Ask Series: No 1
Imbolo Mbue can still remember where she was when she picked up a call and heard a voice say to her, “Hi Imbolo, It’s Oprah.” Oprah had called to tell her that her debut novel, Behold the Dreamers (2016), had been chosen as the 2017 Oprah’s Book Club selection. In an interview with Oprah’s friend and colleague Gayle […]
All the Photos from the 2017 African Literature Conference at Yale University
The African Literature Association (ALA) held its annual conference last month at Yale University. Photos from the event are finally here, and we are delighted to share them with you. For those of you who might not be familiar with the ALA, it is the official organization for scholars of African literature. It is a […]
Imbolo Mbue’s Behold The Dreamers Picked for Oprah’s Book Club
Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers has been selected by Oprah Winfrey for her Book Club. The media mogul revealed this two days ago, describing the book as a “breathless journey.” “It’s everything our culture is grappling with right now, at least many of the things about race and class, about the economy, immigration, the dangers […]
The Impossibly Dapper Novelist: A Look at Alain Mabanckou’s Style File
From Chimamanda Adichie’s widely-publicized made-in-Nigeria wardrobe to Teju Cole’s Ikire Jones scarves to Prof Ato Quayson’s fedora hats, fashion and style have become a new mode of self-expression among African literary figures. They effortlessly blend literary success and a love for style. In so doing, these writers have transformed the idea of the public intellectual into […]
I hold a doctorate in English from Duke University and recently joined the Marquette University English faculty as an Assistant Professor. I love teaching African fiction and contemporary British novels. Brittle Paper is the virtual space/station where I play and experiment with ideas on how to reinvent African fiction and literary culture.
