View Content #18524

From https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/discussions/50537/ut-austin-symposium-african-writers-2014-taiye-selasi-sofia-samatar

UT Austin Symposium for African Writers 2014: Taiye Selasi, Sofia Samatar, Maaza Mengiste, Laila Lalami, & Nnedi Okorafor
December 2-3, 2014
University of Texas-Austin

In the last few years, some of the most powerful, popular, and innovative African writing has come from writers living in the United States. Yet to describe writers like Taiye Selasi, Maaza Mengiste, Sofia Samatar, Nnedi Okorafor, or Laila Lalami as either “American” or “African” writers would be to miss what is most vital about their work, which is both and neither, and gloriously so. Even terms like “exile,” “immigrant,” or “diaspora” don’t capture the reality of writers whose literary horizons are not bound by their birthplace, passport, or skin color. And perhaps they do not wish to be captured!

In December, the University of Texas will welcome these writers to Austin to read and discuss each other’s work.

For full details go to https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/discussions/50537/ut-austin-symposium-african-writers-2014-taiye-selasi-sofia-samatar