Get Shedrack to Brown University's MFA!

Hi, my name is Shedrack Opeyemi Akanbi, and I'm a writer from Nigeria.

I recently got accepted into the fiction track of Brown University’s MFA program, to begin in Fall 2024. I am more than excited because this opportunity offers me two years to dedicate myself to the art of storytelling. This is going to be very defining for my career as a creative writer and editor because I will be studying and collaborating with a cohort who, like me, are in pursuit of literary excellence, all while being mentored by the experienced faculty at Brown.

My writing centers on identity; how who we are, and where we are from colors our everyday life and our relationship with others. I usually approach my writing from the point of familiarity, extending my experience into convex mirrors to help me see beyond myself. I aim with every story to bring the variety of human experiences into a meaningful whole.

As I live in a country with little to no resources to encourage the pursuit of the literary arts, and especially because I am from a low-income earning family, this fully-funded offer of admission from Brown means everything to me. But finances stand in the way. I need your support to help raise the funds for my relocation to Rhode Island, USA. I need you to embark on this journey of finding out what it means to tell stories properly.

Breakdown of estimated costs:

SEVIS Fee: $350

Visa Fee: $200

Air/Travel Fare: $1500

Housing for first month (including security deposit): $2000

Thank you for helping me reach my goal.

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We, the team at Chestnut Review, are raising funds for Shedrack, a current prose reader and past contributor to the magazine. Given his geographical constraints, we will be raising money via GoFundMe payment to our organization bank account and other means and either paying the required parties or disbursing it to him.

Here is Shedrack's official bio:

Shedrack Opeyemi Akanbi (he/him) is a writer and dreamer from Nigeria. He holds a History and International Studies BA from the University of Ilorin. A finalist for the 2023 Kendeka Prize for African Literature, he has received residency from the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora. His works appear or are forthcoming in Chestnut Review, Popula, Shenandoah, etc. He tweets @ShedrackAkanbi

Here are some links to his writing:

A student grapples with power, identity, and class as seen through the downfall of his fearsome schoolteacher:

https://chestnutreview.com/cr_v3_n4/shedrack-opeyemi-akanbi-factor-x/

In the jarring short story, “If Silence Isn’t [Enough] Grief” the speaker’s father passes away while embracing him.

https://medium.com/@incredibleshedy/if-silence-isnt-enough-grief-f049a592b302

Shedrack ponders in his short story “The Colour Black” whether “people know when their days are winding up.”

https://kalaharireview.com/the-colour-black-45e92f6ef83

Admission letter: