Listen to Kristina Yezdimer as she recommends Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor.
This is Kristina Yezdimer from the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Today I’m going to recommend the spellbinding young adult fantasy novel Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Marketed as the Nigerian Harry Potter, this book has several things in common with the boy wizard but has its own unique magical world based on African folklore. 12-year old Sunny, a black girl with albinism, is always an outsider. Raised in the United States by Nigerian parents, she didn’t fit in. When her family returns to Nigeria, she is called Akata, a derogatory term for an American of African heritage, and also a witch because of superstitions about her lack of skin pigment. Even her parents give her fewer freedoms than her two brothers because she is a girl, especially with a serial child killer nicknamed Black Hat in the local news.
3 Things to Consider When Retelling Myths
Author Genevieve Gornichec shares her top tips for outlining a myth retelling with examples from her debut novel The Witch s Heart.
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Feb 16, 2021
Working with mythology is kind of like writing fan-fiction: Some things are spelled out for you explicitly as rules of this particular world or universe, and some things aren’t, and the trick is to create a story that sort of fits in with what’s already there without making the story unbelievable to readers familiar with the material.
When it comes to retelling myths, I can only speak on the Norse ones. For
Alton concert aims to warm hearts and souls
Vicki Bennington For The Telegraph
Feb. 16, 2021
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ALTON Alton Symphony Orchestra continues its virtual concert series, this time while also highlighting the latest Marie Stillwell Young Artists’ Competition first place-winner, Isabella Saldaña.
Maestro Wm. Shane Williams has kept the 76th season of the symphony on track with concerts that people can enjoy from the comfort and safety of their own home. Williams has created new concerts using pre-recorded selections from past performances.
The next one in the season’s offerings, “The Warmth of Music” will be available on the orchestra’s website, https://www.altonsymphonyorchestra.org/, on Sunday, Feb. 21.