Nigerian Writers on Commonwealth Short Story and O. Henry Prize Lists

Adelehin Ijasan (l) and Chinelo Okparanta (r)
 

Two up-and-coming Nigerian writers - Adelehin Ijasan and Chinelo Okparanta - have made their mark on the international short story scene, with Ijasan named on this year's Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist, and Okparanta among the winners of the O. Henry Prize. 
Ijasan, whose work has been published in Every Day Fiction and On the Premises, is one of 19 writers from  Commonwealth countries in the running for this year's prize. The best stories from the five Commonwealth regions (from Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific) will be selected by the panel of judges (which includes Ugandan writer Doreen Baingana this year) and one overall winner picked. The overall winner will receive £5,000 and the remaining four regional winners £2,500 each. Okparanta, who was nominated for last year's Caine Prize for her story "America", is among 20 winners of this year's O. Henry Prize which recognises new and established authors. The Prize, which dates back to 1919, aims to “strengthen the art of the short story and to stimulate younger authors.” The twenty winning stories will be published in an anthology slated for this September. Okparanta's winning story "Fairness" (included in her new short story collection Runs Girl and Other Stories) can be read here.
Many congratulations to both writers!