South African friend, Andie Miller reminds us that exiled Nigerian poet/novelist, Chris Abani will be here in NC.

At last report, Abani is scheduled to be speaking in Raleigh at NCSU’s Human Rights Week on Monday March 28 6:30 in Williams Hall.

NCSU’s site says:

First imprisoned by the Nigerian regime at the age of eighteen when his debut novel was labeled a threat to national security, Chris Abani continued, after his release, to challenge injustice as part of a guerrilla theater group that performed plays in front of government buildings. His activism led to more arrests, and, eventually, a death sentence. Released, he chose exile, settling first in the United Kingdom, and then in California, where he currently teaches creative writing at the University of California, Riverside. Chris Abani’s experiences inform and shape his beautiful, evocative and award-winning writing, including the poetry collections Kalakuta Republic, Dog Woman, and Daphne’s Lot, novels GraceLand (shortlisted in the Best Book Category (Africa Region) for The Commonwealth Writer’s Prize) and Master’s of the Board, and his plays. Mr. Abani’s novel, GraceLand, was recognized nationally by being selected for the ‘Today” show ‘Today Book Club’. Graceland tells the story of a teenage Elvis impersonator trying to get out of the ghettos of Nigeria.
In his presentations Mr. Abani opens minds and widens horizons, showing how art can serve a just cause. Come hear from someone who has challenged tyranny with nothing more than his pen, as he fuses the worlds of politics and art while discussing human rights and democracy. A reception with Mr. Abani will follow the presentation.
Sponsored in part by the Caldwell Fellows Programs, the University Honors Program, the University Honors Village, and the University Scholars Program.