Uwem Akpan
Uwem Akpan (born May 19, 1971 in Ikot Akpan Eda, then Cross River State , today Akwa Ibom State , Nigeria ) is a Nigerian writer and priest .
Life
Akpan was born to teachers in a small village in southeastern Nigeria. He grew up with his three brothers speaking English and Annang . In 1990 he joined the Jesuit order and was ordained a priest in 1993. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor , Michigan in 2003 and continued his theological studies at Creighton University in Omaha , Nebraska . His first book, a collection of 5 stories from five different African countries, was published in 2008 and is entitled Say you're one of them .
Akpam currently works as a priest at Christ the King Church in Itasama , Lagos , Nigeria.
Awards and honors
- 2008: Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, African Region .
- 2009: PEN / Open Book Award 2009.
- 2009: Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist
Publications
-
Say you're One of Them. Little, Brown, New York City 2008, ISBN 978-0-316113786 .
- German by Bernhard Robben : Say that you are one of them. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42286-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Akpan, Uwem |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Nigerian Jesuit and writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 19, 1971 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ikot Akpan Eda, Cross River State, today: Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria |