New Writings in the New World

by Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún

A while ago, while organizing a road trip through the U.S., I realized that if I were to plan the journey around visits to writer friends and colleagues whose work I enjoyed, or with whom I’d like to spend time in their diaspora space, it might look like this:

Iowa, for Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and Romeo Oríogun
South Dakota, for Ukamaka Olisakwe
Utah, for Kenechi Uzor
Illinois, for Nnedi Okorafor, and her cat
Georgia, for Chika Unigwe
California, for Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, and Adedayo Agarau
Kansas, for Fọlábọ̀ Àjàyí Ṣóyínká
Louisiana, for Akwaeke Emezi
Wisconsin, for Ainehi Edoro
Missouri, for Tolú Daniel
Nevada, for Okey Ndibe
Pennsylvania, for Emily Grosholz, whose work I translated in 2021
New York, for Teju Cole
Alabama, for Iquo Diana Abasi
Nebraska, for Kwame Dawes and Chigozie Obioma

And so on. There were a few others, whom I no longer remember. They are not all close friends, and such a meeting may not even happen. But their work, and my contact with them, has made these writers visible enough to matter to the African literary space. This is only a list for America. There are many more in the United Kingdom, Germany, and other spaces.