Where are you now and what can you see?
I am in Rugby, at my uncle’s. I can see his wife having tea across the table and the trees in the backyard.
What are you currently reading?
How to answer this question? My concentration is in the gutters, my mind often a-flight, so I read a bunch of things at the same time. This means that it can take months to finish a book if I’m reading without the constraints of a deadline. Right now, James Baldwin’s Another Country captures my interest on good days, as well as My Lives, a fun and deeply honest autobiography by Edmund White. A friend recently sent me “The Love Object,” a short story by Edna O’Brien, which blew my mind and heart away.
Who is your favourite author and why do you admire them?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She is not only a consummate artist – she is a stellar, active citizen too. What’s not to admire about that? I attended her workshop in 2012, and, beyond being inspired by her grace, wisdom and shining presence, I returned home with friendships that would affect my life in the most meaningful way, peers with whose support great things seemed possible and graspable. I hope she continues to do that work.
Describe the room where you usually write…
It has a desk facing the wall. Ideally there is a window, or a balcony, for when I need to stretch my neck and legs, and gaze at the real world. There is music playing in the background. Usually dim, blue lights, sometimes full sunniness – depending on the mood of the moment, or what house.
Which fictional character most resembles you?
Perhaps the unnamed narrator of Edmund White’s The Beautiful Room Is Empty. It’s more that his musings and state of mind left me screaming, in my head, “I’ve thought this thought as well! I feel this way too!” while reading the book years ago. It was my pandemic year in Iowa City.
Who is your hero from outside literature?
My mother, Ijeoma Ifeakandu (née Ndumnego). A great parent and an astute nursery schoolteacher, she is adored by her colleagues and pupils. She inspires me tremendously.
Arinze Ifeakandu won the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2023 for his debut short story collection God’s Children Are Little Broken Things (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £9.99).
