I Don't Write Bad Sentences with Nana Nkweti

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Nana Nkweti, author of the short story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells. Nana is a Caine Prize finalist and alumna of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Kimbilio, Ucross, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, among others. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama.

Episode Notes
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On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Nana Nkweti, author of the short story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells. Nana is a Caine Prize finalist and alumna of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Kimbilio, Ucross, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, among others. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama.

During the conversation, Nana breaks down the financial difference when it comes to selling a short story collection versus selling a novel and why she wants to be remembered for writing the stories of the weird and quirky, complicating the narrative, and telling the stories of the domestic interior. She also explains her writing process and balancing those instinctual thunderclap moments with the craft of discipline that comes in revision.