Fort Greene store:
Tuesday, February 20, 7:30 PM
Akwaeke Emezi presents Freshwater
In conversation with Chinelo Okparanta

Akwaeke Emezi – winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa and a Global Arts Fund Grant – presents her debut novel, Freshwater, a surreal chronicle of the experience of the fractured self. Freshwater centers around a young Nigerian woman who develops separate selves within her because she is born with “one foot on the other side.” As she comes of age and moves to the States for college, the group of selves within her grow in power and agency – and Ada’s life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction. With ferocious energy and serpentine grace, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of the way we construct our identities, and heralds the arrival of a dazzling new literary voice. Emezi discusses her work in conversation with acclaimed fellow author Chinelo Okparanta, author of Under the Udala Trees, followed by a signing and Q&A.