Detcon 1 Names Nnedi Okorafor YA Author Special Guest

Nnedi_Okorafor-247x300Nnedi Okorafor has accepted Detcon 1’s invitation to be the 2014 NASFiC’s Young Adult (YA) Author Special Guest.

Okorafor’s novel Who Fears Death (2010) won the World Fantasy Award and the Carl Brandon Society’s Kindred Award.

Her first YA novel, 2005’s Zahrah the Windseeker, won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and the Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Literature. Her second YA novel, 2007?s The Shadow Speaker, won the Carl Brandon Parallax Award. Other works include Long Juju Man, winner of the Macmillan’s Writers Prize for Africa, Iridessa and the Secret of the Never Mine, Akata Witch and a sequel, Breaking Kola, due in 2015.

Detcon1 also plans to spotlight YA literature at the convention by presenting two awards for YA and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction in a joint ceremony with the 2014 Golden Duck Awards. Nominations must be received by February 28 – see the website for information.

The full press release follows the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2014

Detroit, MI – Detcon1, the 2014 North American Science Fiction Convention, is delighted to announce that Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor will be attending Detcon1 as our Young Adult (YA) Author Special Guest.

Ms. Okorafor holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago. A graduate of the Clarion Writers Workshop in East Lansing, MI, and a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University, her first YA novel, 2005’s Zahrah the Windseeker, won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and the Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Literature.  Her second YA novel, 2007’s The Shadow Speaker, won the Carl Brandon Parallax Award. Other works include Long Juju Man, winner of the Macmillan’s Writers Prize for Africa, Iridessa and the Secret of the Never Mine, Akata Witch and a sequel, Breaking Kola, due in 2015. Adult fiction includes the World Fantasy Award-winner Who Fears Death, and short fiction “The Magical Negro,” “Wahala,” and “Spider the Artist.”

Detcon1 Chair Tammy Coxen says, “We are thrilled to have Ms Okorafor as our YA Special Guest. Her narrative voice and use of African settings and folklore greatly enriches the young adult fantasy field.”

Detcon1 will be putting a special focus on YA literature at the convention. In addition to having Ms. Okorafor as a guest, Detcon1 will also present two awards for YA and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction in a joint ceremony with the 2014 Golden Duck Awards. Anyone may nominate works for the awards; for more information, see <http://www.detcon1.org/award/>. Nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 28, 2014.

Funding for the Detcon1 Young Adult Author Special Guest, Awards, and related Young Adult programming was provided by Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Chicago, IL in 2012.

###
PRESS INFORMATION FOR DETCON1
Direct press queries or requests to be removed from the Detcon 1 Press Release Mailing List should be sent to [email protected]

Inquiries regarding the nomination or voting process, or about the Detcon1 Awards can be directed to the Award Administrator, Maggi Idzikowski,[email protected].

ABOUT DETCON1
Detcon1 is being held July 17 through 20, 2014, at the Renaissance Center Marriott in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

The North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC), is held in years when the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) is held outside of North America.  Worldcon, an international gathering of the science fiction and fantasy community, is being held in London, England in August 2014.

Memberships for Detcon1 can be purchased at http://www.detcon1.org/

For more details on Detcon1, visit http://www.detcon1.org/

“World Science Fiction Society,” “WSFS,” “World Science Fiction Convention,” “Worldcon,” “NASFiC,” “Hugo Award,” the Hugo Award Logo, and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Trophy Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.