Joy Keys chats with Author Nana Nkweti

Nana Nkweti is a Cameroonian-American writer and AKO Caine Prize finalist whose work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Kimbilio, Ucross, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, and several others. Her first book, Walking on Cowrie Shells, was hailed by The New York Times review as a “raucous and thoroughly impressive debut” with "stories to get lost in again and again." The collection is also a New York Times Editor's Choice, Indie Next pick, recipient of starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and BookPage; and has been featured in The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Oprah Daily, The Root, NPR, Buzzfeed, and Thrillist, amongst others. The work features elements of mystery, horror, myth, and graphic novels to showcase the complexity and vibrance of African diaspora cultures and identities. Nkweti is a professor of English at the University of Alabama.