Chioma Okereke
Chioma Okereke is a Nigerian born poet, author and short story writer. Her debut novel Bitter Leaf was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize - Africa Best First Book 2011.Biography
Okereke was born in Benin City, Nigeria. She moved to Britain at the age of six and attended several boarding schools before completing her sixth form schooling at North London Collegiate School in Canons, Middlesex. Okereke graduated with an LLB from University College London.
A poet and short story writer who performed internationally, her early work was published in Bum Rush The Page and The Callaloo Literary Magazine. It was shortlisted for the Undiscovered Authors Competition in 2006, as well as for the Daily Telegraph's Write a Novel in a Year Competition 2007.
Her debut novel Bitter Leaf was published in 2010 by Virago Press and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize - Africa Best First Book 2011.
Her short story "Trompette de la Mort" was First Runner up for the inaugural Costa Short Story Award in the 2012 Costa Book Awards and her work was included in the Virago is 40 anthology.
