Co-presented by Books Inc. and Museum of the African Diaspora

Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister’s lavish Caribbean wedding, she’s unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career. It’s a far-future epic where androids and AI wage war in the grown-over ruins of human civilization. She calls it Rusted Robots.

When Zelu finds the courage to share her strange novel, she does not realize she is about to embark on a life-altering journey—one that will catapult her into literary stardom, but also perhaps obliterate everything her book was meant to be. From Chicago to Lagos to the far reaches of space, Zelu’s novel will change the future not only for humanity, but for the robots who come next.

"Don’t be frightened by the title. Nnedi Okorafor is fine… and doing her best work yet. Death of the Author reads like three novels in one, or maybe four, about fame and family, culture and change, the power of story, the writer’s life… and robots. This one has it all.” -George R.R. Martin

Nnedi Okorafor’s brilliant, galaxy-spanning stories have earned some of speculative fiction’s most prestigious awards. Her visionary writing resonates across genres, from comics, screenplays, and short fiction to works for young readers. Now, with Death of the Author, Okorafor ventures into literary fiction while still keeping Africanfuturism at the center of her work—and the results are extraordinary, called “spellbinding” by Zakiya Dalila Harris in the New York Times.

Join other Litquake supporters at a private home in San Francisco (address will be shared with registered guests) for an exclusive reception to celebrate Okorafor’s spectacular new novel; attendees will enjoy an intimate conversation between Okorafor and writer and activist Jewelle Gomez as well as casual conversation over light hors d'oeuvres and wine.

Tickets ($100) to benefit the Litquake Foundation include a signed hardcover copy of Death of the Author.

About Litquake
Litquake seeks to foster interest in literature, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provide a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city's music, film, and cultural festivals. 2024 Dates: Oct. 10-26. www.litquake.org

Litquake is grateful for the support of the following funders who help make our programming possible. Institutional Giving: Alta: Journal of Alta California, Amazon Literary Partnership, Bernard Osher Foundation, California Arts Council, California Humanities, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Center for the Art of Translation, Grants for the Arts, Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, HarperOne, Hawthornden Foundation, Joseph and Vera Long Foundation, Margaret and William R. Hearst III Foundation, Mary A. Crocker Trust, Miner Anderson Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Rock Foundation, Norway House, Sam Mazza Foundation, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation; Individual Giving: Jared Bhatti, Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler, Frances Dinkelspiel and Gary Wayne, Karyn DiGiorgio and Steve Sattler, Scott James and Gerald Cain, Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman, Greg Sarris, and Ellen Ullman Media Sponsors: San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, 7x7, KALW, KEXP, KQED, SF Arts Monthly, Bay Area Reporter, Johnny Funcheap.