Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor formerly Okorafor-Mbachu; born April 8, 1974is a Nigerian-American author of Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism for children and adults. Her works include WHO FEARS DEATH (in development at HBO into a TV series), the BINTI novella trilogy, THE BOOK OF PHOENIX, the AKATA books and LAGOON.
She is the winner of Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and Lodestar Awards and her debut novel ZAHRAH THE WINDSEEKER won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. Her next novel, IKENGA, will be in stores August 2020.
Nnedi has also written comics for Marvel, including BLACK PANTHER: LONG LIVE THE KING and WAKANDA FOREVER (featuring the Dora Milaje) and the SHURI series, an Africanfuturist comic series LAGUARDIA (from Dark Horse) and her short memoir BROKEN PLACES AND OUTER SPACES.
Nnedi is also co writer of the adaptation of Octavia Butler’s WILD SEED with Viola Davis and Kenyan film director Wanuri Kahiu. Nnedi holds a PhD (literature) and two MAs (journalism and literature). She lives with her daughter Anyaugo and family in Illinois. Nnedi’s books include:
Lagoon (a British Science Fiction Association Award finalist for Best Novel), adult
Who Fears Death (a World Fantasy Award winner for Best Novel), adult
The Book of Phoenix (an Arthur C. Clarke Award finalist), adult
The Binti Trilogy (A Hugo, Nebula and Nommo Award winner for Best Novella and parts 2 and 3 are Hugo Award nominees)
Chicken in the Kitchen (winner of an Africana Book Award), children
Kabu Kabu (A Publisher’s Weekly Best Book for Fall 2013), adult
The Akata series (Akata Witch and Akata Warrior, Akata Witch being an Amazon.com Best Book of the Year, Akata Warrior being a finalist for the World Science Fiction Society Award), young adult
Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature)
The Shadow Speaker (a CBS Parallax Award winner), young adult
Long Juju Man (winner of the Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa), middle grade
Broken Places & Outer Spaces
Comics:
LaGuardia (Dark Horse)
Black Panther: Long Live the King (Marvel): (Hugo Nominee for Best Novella)
Shuri (Marvel): (A Nommo Award winner for Best Graphic Novel)
Wakanda Forever (Marvel)
Antar: the Black Knight (IDW/Mirage Films)
Forthcoming:
Ikenga (Penguin Books/Viking): Due out in August 2020
Remote Control (Tor.com): Due out in January 2021
Awards
2005 – The Strange Horizons Reader's Choice Award for Stephen King's 2007 – 2008 – Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa for Long Juju Man 2008 – Carl Brandon Parallax Award for The Shadow Speaker 2008 – The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature for Zahrah the Windseeker 2011 – The World Fantasy Award (Best Novel) for Who Fears Death 2012 – The 2012 Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature (Fiction) for Zahrah the Windseeker 2012 – Kindred Award for Who Fears Death 2015 – African Literary Person of the Year from Brittle Paper 2016 – The Nebula Award (Best Novella) for Binti 2016 – Children's Africana Book Award for Best Book for Young Readers for Chicken in the Kitchen 2016 – The Hugo Award for Best Novella for Binti 2018 – The Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel for Akata Warrior 2018 – The Lodestar Award for Akata Warrior 2020 - The Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story for LaGuardia mynigeria.com