On November 2, Nigerian-born writer Chika Unigwe visited Penn State and gave a reading, as part of the Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.

In its coverage of the event, the campus student newspaper The Daily Collegian noted that Unigwe read an excerpt from her novel “The Middle Daughter,” which is a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades, as well as an unpublished short story set in Belgium, where Unigwe said she lived for a time.

The article by student reporter Jadzia Santiago also offered some insights from students, professors, and the author herself.

“Seeing the authors gives us that reminder that (authors) are real people and this is something that we can do,” BA/MA student Cindy Rodi said. “We can succeed in the work that we truly love.”

Samuel Kọ́láwọlé, assistant professor of English and African studies and longtime friend of Unigwe’s (featured together in below image), said it’s not possible to “tell the story of African literature in the last 20 years without mentioning (Unigwe),” who he said is “one of the major writers” in the African literature landscape.

Read the full article here.

(top photo credit: Alexandra Antoniono, Daily Collegian)