Chris Abani

Chris Abani is a novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. Originally from Afikpo, Nigeria, Albani earned a BA in English from Imo State University, Nigeria; an MA in English, Gender and Culture from Birkbeck College, University of London; and a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. He is the author of several books of poetry, including Sanctificum (2010) and works of fiction such as The Secret History of Las Vegas (2014). As a writer in Nigeria's military dictatorship, Abani was imprisoned multiple times. Albani's perspective and resilience is revealing. "The art is never about what you write about. The art is about how you write about what you write about. I was a writer before I was in prison."