Nov 15, 2025 — Ann Arbor, MI
Guest Reading: Michigan Writers’ Series
Rackham Amphitheatre · 6:00–7:30 pm
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Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
Author of The Tiny Things Are Heavier · Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
“Okonkwo’s prose glimmers with tenderness and truth.” — Publication Name
About
Esther I. Okonkwo is a Nigerian-born writer and Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Michigan. Her debut, The Tiny Things Are Heavier (July 2025), explores intimacy, memory, and migration through luminous, precise prose.
Her work appears or is forthcoming in Journal/Outlet, Another Outlet, and Anthology Name. She holds an MFA from Institution and has received fellowships from Fellowship Names.
Teaching Philosophy
In my classrooms, I invite rigor, generosity, and curiosity. We read across traditions to expand our sense of what fiction can do, and we write toward compassion without abandoning edge.
Book: The Tiny Things Are Heavier
Debut · Novel
Back-cover description goes here. Two or three paragraphs that introduce themes, setting, and emotional stakes. Keep it compelling but concise; this is the sales copy visitors will read first.
Praise
“A striking debut—quietly devastating and fiercely tender.” — Reviewer Name
“Stories that thread migration and desire with rare clarity.” — Another Review
Publisher · ISBN 978-1-23456-789-0 · 224 pages
News & Events
Invite EstherDec 08, 2025 — Virtual
In Conversation with Publication
Zoom · 1:00–2:00 pm ET
Register
Past events archive coming soon.
Teaching
Fiction Workshop I
Undergraduate · Fall 2025
Close reading, generative prompts, revision strategies, and peer workshop.
Graduate Craft Seminar: Intimacy on the Page
Graduate · Spring 2026
Techniques for rendering desire, silence, and subtlety without sentimentality.
Media & Press
Contact
For readings, interviews, or academic inquiriesMedia: publicist@publisher.com · Academic: okonkwo@umich.edu