Chikodili Emelumadu

Chikodili Emelumadu
Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ
Chikodili Emelumadu speaking at Africa Writes Festival 2021
Education
Writing career
GenreSpeculative fiction
Notable workDazzling (2023)

Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, also spelled Chikodili Emelumadu, is a British Nigerian speculative fiction writer.

Early life and education

Emelumadu was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, and was raised in Awka, Nigeria.[1] She is of Igbo heritage.[2] Emelumadu was educated at two Nigerian boarding schools before attending Nnamdi Azikiwe University,[3] graduating with a BA in English language and literature.[4] She later returned to England in 2004 to study for a Master's degree in Cross Cultural Communication and International Relations at University of Newcastle upon Tyne, as well as a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Harlow College.[5]

Career

Emelumadu worked for some time as a journalist for BBC World Service before quitting at the age of 27 to pursue writing fiction full time.[5]

Emelumadu's short story "Candy Girl" was shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Awards (2015).[6] Her work has also been shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing (2017 for "Bush Baby"[7] and 2020 for "What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata"[8]), and a Nommo award (2020).[9] In 2019, she won the inaugural Curtis Brown First Novel prize for her manuscript entitled Dazzling, receiving a cash prize of £3,000 in addition to representation from Curtis Brown agency.[10] Dazzling was eventually published in 2023[11] and is praised for Emelumadu's use of "Igbo mythology, spirituality, and storytelling" in her writing.[12]

Emelumadu served as juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards in 2018 and 2020.[13]

Personal life

As of 2024, Emelumadu lives in Newhaven, East Sussex in England with her children.[4]

Selected bibliography

Novels

  • Dazzling. Hachette UK. 2023. ISBN 978-1-0354-0207-6.

Short stories

References

  1. ↑ "The Shortlist". Caine Prize. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "An Interview with Chikodili Emelumadu - Caine Prize Shortlist". www.wasafiri.org. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Exclusive Interview with Chikodili Emelumadu". She Reads. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 Myman, Francesca (8 July 2024). "Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ: Mindframe". Locus Magazine. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Ryman, Geoff (1 March 2017). "Chikodili Emelumadu". Strange Horizons. 100 African Writers of SFF — Part Two: Writers in the U.K. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Candy Girl | Apex Magazine". 4 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "An Interview with Chikodili Emelumadu - Caine Prize Shortlist". Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "BBC World Service - Focus on Africa, Caine Prize 2020: Nigerian writer Chikodili Emelumadu". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Nommo 2020: Short Story Nominations - African Speculative Fiction Society". www.africansfs.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Announcing the winner of the inaugural Curtis Brown First Novel Prize". curtisbrowncreative.co.uk. 10 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Emelumadu, Chikodili (16 February 2023). Dazzling. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-1-0354-0207-6.
  12. ↑ Talabi, Wole (3 November 2023). "Pantheons of the Past in the Present: A Reading List of Modern African Books Based on Mythology". Literary Hub. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "The Shirley Jackson Awards » Jurors, Advisory Board, & Board of Directors".
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