The Middle Daughter | Chika Unigwe in conversation with Nina McConigley

Nigerian-born Igbo author Chika Unigwe’s recent novel, The Middle Daughter, is a modern retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone.
It follows the story of Nani as she grapples with rapid life changes after the death of her father and elder sister. An endearing tale of grief, abuse, and the search for belonging, the narrative takes a piercing look at Nani’s journey as she attempts to reclaim her life and agency. In conversation with academic and writer Nina McConigley , Unigwe discusses the nuances of this powerful tale and its larger cultural and historical significance.
Chika Unigwe was born and raised in Nigeria. Widely anthologized and translated, her latest novel, The Middle Daughter, has been longlisted for the New American Voices Award. Unigwe is a professor of creative writing at Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia.
Nina McConigley was born in Singapore and raised in Wyoming. Her short story collection Cowboys and East Indians was the winner of the PEN Open Book Award. In 2019-2020, she was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and is a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellowship. She teaches at Colorado State University.
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