Upcoming Special Event

Author Visit: Afabwaje Kurian

Before the Mango Ripens (2024)

Tuesday, May 6 • 10:00am-11:15am • Zoom

Course 13157 • $30

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In conversation with Anna Katsavos, Afabwaje Kurian discusses her debut novel, Before the Mango Ripens (2024). Longlisted for the Aspen Prize, Kurian’s work paints a nuanced portrait of life in a small Nigerian town in the aftermath of the Biafran War. This historical fiction set in the 1970s illustrates the hypocrisy and tensions between American Christian missionaries and the residents of Rabata as Nigeria teeters between post-colonial dependency and self-rule. Moving and bitingly humorous, the novel weaves together the characters' back stories and explores themes of faith, ambition, and betrayal in portraying a community at the precipice of change.


Session will be recorded and sent to enrolled students to view for up to one week.

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AFABWAJE KURIAN received her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her short fiction has been published in McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Callaloo, Crazyhorse (now swamp.pink), The Bare Life Review, and Joyland Magazine. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, for the International Writing Program, and for The Writer’s Center, and received residencies and fellowships from Ucross, Vermont Studio Center, and Ragdale. Born in Jos, Nigeria, and raised in Maryland and Ohio, Kurian now divides her time between Washington, D.C., and the Midwest.


ANNA KATSAVOS, PhD, is an experienced book group facilitator. A SUNY Professor Emerita of English Literature and Women’s Studies, she has received numerous awards for teaching, and her scholarship has been published in a variety of literary journals. She has interviewed many best-selling authors and has presented interactive programs focusing on a wide range of women’s issues. Additionally, she conducts writing, editing and publishing workshops.

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