Guest Lecture: Amara Okafor on Writing the Midlands

The Department of English and the Arts Festival committee welcome Amara Okafor, Luma MA Creative Writing graduate and Women's Prize for Fiction longlisted author, for a public lecture on writing place, identity and family history in the West Midlands.

Okafor will read from her debut novel The Weight of Rivers and discuss the process of developing the manuscript during her postgraduate studies at Luma. The lecture explores how fiction can illuminate migrant experiences, industrial heritage and contemporary multicultural communities in towns often overlooked in literary fiction.

The event is open to students, staff, alumni and members of the public. A book signing follows the lecture, with copies available for purchase from a local independent bookseller. Schools and colleges in the region are invited to bring small groups of A-level English students; teachers should contact the widening participation team for group booking arrangements.

Doors open at 17:30. Registration is required as the Great Hall has limited capacity of 350. The lecture will not be live-streamed but a recording may be published on the alumni website subject to the speaker's agreement.