Zibby chats with poet, essayist, fiction writer, and assistant professor of English, Iheoma Nwachukwu, about his brilliant, ravishing, ruthless short story collection, JAPA AND OTHER STORIES, a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection! Iheoma explains the meaning of “japa,” a Yoruba word central to the book, as it follows young Nigerian immigrants yearning for a new life in strange new territories and struggling to anchor themselves in their new homes, much like Iheoma’s experience in the United States. He reflects on his extraordinary journey, from his early life in Nigeria (studying biochemistry with dreams of becoming a doctor), to discovering his true passion for writing and moving to the US to pursue an MFA.

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