Bestselling Jesuit Author of Say You’re One of Them Plans Book Tour at Jesuit Colleges and Universities across the Nation

Jesuit Father Uwem Akpan (Courtesy Uwem Akpan)

Jesuit Father Uwem Akpan, author of Say You’re One of Them, the current Oprah’s Book Club selection, will visit five Jesuit colleges and universities across the country to discuss his book, the intersection of spirituality and art, and his life as a Jesuit priest and author. Fr. Akpan’s talks, which will include a reading from his collection of short stories that were recently #1 on the New York Times list for fiction, will be free and open to the public, and will be held on the campuses of Loyola University Chicago, Boston College, Georgetown University, University of San Francisco and Loyola Marymount University.

Father Akpan’s appearances at Jesuit schools across the country will take place shortly after his participation in a live, in-depth discussion about his book with Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper that will be simulcast on Oprah.com and CNN.com. Details of the event, which will take place on Monday, November 9, at 9 p.m. EST, can be found at www.oprah.com/bookclub. RSVP in advance of Monday night’s live web event by visiting the Oprah.com website.

Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 2:30 p.m. Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Sullivan Center Galvin Auditorium  6339 N Sheridan Rd Chicago, Ill.	Thursday, November 12, 2009 7:30 p.m. Boston College School of Theology & Ministry Brighton Campus 9 Lake Street, Room 100 Boston, Mass.
Saturday, November 14, 2009 1:30pm Georgetown University Riggs Library 3800 Reservoir Rd NW Washington, D.C.	Wednesday, November 18, 2009 4:00 pm University of San Francisco Xavier Hall, inside Fromm Hall 2053 Fulton St San Francisco, Calif.
Thursday, November 19, 2009 4:00pm Loyola Marymount University William H. Hannon Library Von der Ahe Family Suite Room 322 1 LMU Drive Los Angeles, Calif.

Two additional free and open-to-the-public book events will be taking place with Father Akpan in New York and Philadelphia. On Wednesday, November 11, at 4:30p.m., the New York Theological Seminary will be hosting a reading at their Interfaith Center, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. On Tuesday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m., Father Akpan will speak along with author and fellow Oprah Book Club^® author, David Wroblewski at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Montgomery Auditorium, 1901 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa.

Below is a recent CNN.com video with Jesuit Father Uwem Akpan from Nigeria:  

 

About the Book - Say You’re One of Them

In Say You’re One of Them, published in September 2009, each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances. A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle's attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today's Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear.

About the Author - Jesuit Father Uwem Akpan

Uwem Akpan, S.J., was born in Ikot Akpan Eda in southern Nigeria. After studying philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities, he studied theology for three years at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006. "My Parents' Bedroom," a story from his short story collection, Say You're One of Them, was one of five short stories by African writers chosen as finalists for The Caine Prize for African Writing 2007.