Obinni Nwakanma
Ph.D., English

“Born in Nigeria, I attended the Government College, Umuahia and the University of Jos, Nigeria where I earned a B.A. (Honors) in English. I was awarded the Gerald Moore Prize for writing at the University of Jos. For thirteen years, I worked as a journalist in Nigeria, becoming the literary editor of one of Nigeria’s leading national newspapers, the Vanguard in Lagos. I also worked as an international correspondent in Lagos for Newsweek and the Neue Zurcher Zeitung of Zurich. In 1996, I received Nigeria’s highest poetry prize, the ANA/Cadbury Prize, for my first collection of poetry, The Roped Urn. I was guest poet at the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam. I received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Washington University in May 2003. While at Washington University, I edited Ars Poetica, the Writing Program’s newsletter. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in English. While in St. Louis, I have taught courses in composition, African Poetry, African Literature and American Literature at Washington University, Harris-Stowe University and Saint Louis University.”