On Thursday, Jan. 15, Chika Unigwe, an associate professor of creative writing at GCSU and prolific author, published her new novel, “Grace,” through the publishing firm Canongate Books. 

“Grace” is a thought-provoking novel about family, resilience and confronting your past. Grace, a successful doctor and mother of twins, must face the daughter she had to give up at 15 when her estranged mother abruptly appears, threatening the fragile life she has built and protected for decades. 

Unigwe was inspired to write this novel because of instances she had heard about in her past of mothers forced to give up or abandon their children due to societal, financial or familial pressures.

“Growing up, I heard of babies abandoned in unimaginable places,” Unigwe said. “More recently, an acquaintance took in a baby abandoned near her home, and it got me thinking of those abandoned babies, and I wanted to write a happy ending for them.”

Unigwe’s novels and short stories often explore themes of family, resilience and women’s struggles to survive and thrive in a male-centered society.

“I have also long been troubled by how patriarchal cultures punish women for the same transgressions men routinely get away with, and I wanted to explore that power imbalance and its consequences,” Unique said.

As a creative writing professor, Unigwe works to encourage her students’ dreams while helping them to hone their skills and style. By doing this, she is also able to further examine and improve her own work and style.

“Teaching writing forces me to interrogate my own writing,” Unigwe said.

Lucy Whitener, a junior English major, is a student of Unigwe’s and finds her teaching style very helpful and productive for her writing. 

“She always has a very hands-on approach, which is something I deeply admire about her,” Whitner said. “She loves to interact with your writing and find ways to improve it without putting you down.”

By publishing her novels, Unigwe inspires her creative writing students with her achievements as a successful author and shows them that their writing dreams are possible. 

“It is so encouraging to have someone like [Unigwe] teaching at GCSU, because, as someone who would love to publish her work someday, I’d be able to go to her for advice and talk to her about the publishing process,” Whitener said.

Kerry James Evans, associate professor and MFA coordinator at GCSU and fellow published author, praises Unigwe’s prominent career for her contributions to the GCSU writing program.

“Her international presence and prolific publishing put GCSU’s creative writing program on the global stage,” Evans said.

Evans went on to talk about Unigwe’s achievements as a professor here at GCSU, both for herself and for her students.

“As far as her contributions go—beyond her students going on to publish their work in top journals and with great presses—her own publications, most recently “The Middle Daughter”  and even more recently in the UK, “Grace,” represent what our program is founded on—extraordinary literary writing,” Evans said.

In 2023, Unigwe was knighted into the Order of the Belgium Crown, in recognition for her contributions to literature, and is a winner of multiple literary awards, including the $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2012 for her novel, “On Black Sisters’ Street.” She has also served as a judge for many other literary competitions. 

The release date for the U.S. has not been set yet, but “Grace” is available for purchase in hardback, paperback and ebook format through many online U.K. bookstores.

Unigwe’s previous novel, “The Middle Daughter”, published in April of 2023, is a reimagining of the Hades and Persephone myth, as Nani, the main character, must fight to reclaim her life from her abusive husband. The novel, which explores themes of grief and sisterhood, is available for check out from GCSU’s Ina Dillard Russell Library and for purchase at the GCSU Barnes & Noble.

For more information about “Grace,” please visit the Canongate Books website: https://canongate.co.uk/