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Irenosen Okojie

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Irenosen Okojie
MBE FRSL
Okojie leads a discussion for the British Library in 2022
Born
Irenosen Iseghohi Okojie

Nigeria
Nationality
  • Nigerian
  • British
Alma materLondon Metropolitan University
Notable work
Awards
Websitewww.irenosenokojie.com

Irenosen Iseghohi Okojie MBE FRSL is a Nigerian-born novelist and short-story writer working in London, England. Her stories incorporate speculative elements and also make use of her West African heritage. Her first novel, Butterfly Fish won a Betty Trask Award in 2016, and her story "Grace Jones" won the 2020 Caine Prize for African Writing.[1] Okojie was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) in 2018, and in 2020 was appointed a vice-chair of the RSL.[2]

Biography

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Early years and education

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Irenosen Okojie was born in Nigeria, West Africa. When she was eight years old, her family moved to the United Kingdom. She attended Gresham's, a boarding school in Holt, Norfolk, before going on to St Angela's Convent School in East London and then to Stamford Boarding School for girls. Okojie returned to London to complete her education, attending London Metropolitan University, where she studied Communications and Visual Culture.

Career

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Okojie is an arts project manager and curator based in London. Her debut novel, Butterfly Fish, won a Betty Trask Award in 2016.[3] Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Observer, The Guardian, the BBC and the Huffington Post, and she is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[4]

Okojie has received nominations for a number of awards and she has been a judge for other literary competitions.[5][6][7][8][9] Her 2016 collection of short stories, Speak Gigantular, was shortlisted for the 2016 inaugural Jhalak Prize as well as the 2017 Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her story "Animal Parts" was nominated for a 2016 Shirley Jackson Award, and her short story "Synsepalum" was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 to celebrate the BBC National Short Story Award 2018.[1]

Also in 2018, Okojie was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[10] On 19 May 2020, she was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing,[11] and was announced as the winner on 27 July 2020 for her story "Grace Jones".[12][13][14]

Okojie was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to literature.[15]

In 2023, Okojie was one of the judges of the Women's Prize for Fiction.[16]

She is the director and founder of futuristic festival Black to the Future, a multidisciplinary festival celebrating Black artists.[17][18]

Honours and awards

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Bibliography

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References and sources

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  1. ^ a b "Irenosen Okojie". Elise Dillsworth Agency (EDA). Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Vice Chair Appointment at The Royal Society of Literature". irenosenokojie.com. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Betty Trask Prize and Award Winners 2016" Archived 8 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine, The Society of Authors, June 2016.
  4. ^ "New Daughters of Africa Cambridge Literary Festival", Irenosen Okojie website, 9 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Royal Society of Literature » Irenosen Okojie". Royal Society of Literature. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  6. ^ Evaristo, Bernardine (24 November 2016). "Speak Gigantular by Irenosen Okojie review – surreal tales of love and loneliness". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Irenosen Okojie". The Reader Berlin. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  8. ^ "TSS Publishing". The Short Story Interview: Irenosen Okojie. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Irenosen Okojie". Elise Dillsworth Agency. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Okojie, Irenosen". Royal Society of Literature. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Irenosen Okojie". The Caine Prize for African Writing. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Caine Prize 2020: British Nigerian author Irenosen Okojie". BBC News. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. ^ Flood, Alison (27 July 2020). "Irenosen Okojie wins the Caine prize for 'stunning' short story Grace Jones". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  14. ^ "AKO Caine Prize: Irenosen Okojie wins with story of Grace Jones impersonator". BBC News. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  15. ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B22.
  16. ^ Passmore, Lynsey (29 October 2022). "Meet the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction Judges". Women's Prize. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  17. ^ Wood, Heloise (12 September 2023). "Okojie launches new festival 'Black to the Future' with British Library and RSL". The Bookseller. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Black To The Future presents: Genre Marauders". Royal Society of Literature. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  19. ^ Okojie, Irenosen (7 November 2019). Nudibranch: A collection of short stories. London: Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 9780349700908.
  20. ^ Okojie, Irenosen, Curandera, Dialogue Books, 2024, ISBN 9780349700946.
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