Okechukwu Nzelu

Lecturer in Creative Writing

Research Interests

Most of my work is in long-form fiction, although I occasionally write essays and thinkpieces, and I am a regular contributor to Kinfolk magazine. Much of my writing centres on Black British life, queerness, family (whether genetic or chosen) and faith. My debut novel The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (Dialogue Books/Little,Brown, 2019) is about a half-Nigerian teenage girl who is determined to learn about her Igbo heritage. My second novel, Here Again Now (Dialogue Boooks/Little,Brown, 2022), is inspired by the Book of Ruth from the Old Testament.

Here Again Now Book Launch
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar

Public Online Reading with Okechukwu Nzelu
Invited talk

C Pam Zhang and Bryan Washington
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar

Centering the Black Queer Experience through Storytelling
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar

Dialogue Books Proof Party
Festival/Exhibition/Concert

Thrive x Pride: Robert Jones Jnr in Conversation with Okechukwu Nzelu
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar

Betty Trask Award
Prize (including medals and awards)

Northern Writers Award
Prize (including medals and awards)

Kingston University Big Read
Other distinction