Uwem Akpan

Uwem Akpan was born in Ikot Akpan Eda, in southern Nigeria . After studying philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities, he studied theology for three years at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa . He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006. In 2008 he completed a teaching assignment at a seminary in Harare, Zimbabwe, and is now at a parish in Lagos, Nigeria.