Episode Thirteen - Afabwaje Kurian

Novelist Afabwaje Kurian was born in Nigeria, raised in Maryland, and worked in the health care community for many years before she was accepted into the Iowa Writers Workshop, widely considered the best writing program in the country. While there, Afabwaje began work on the novel that would eventually become Before the Mango Ripens, which was published last year through Dzanc Books. Before the Mango Ripens was a finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, along with novels by Tommy Orange and Percival Everett, so Afabwaje was in great company.