LIFTed UNITED welcome's Authors CHIOMA OKEREKE and ABI ISHOLA-AYODEJ Book Panel! Join us for a fascinating discussion with these two talented writers as they share insights into their latest works.

Okereke was born in Benin City, Nigeria. A poet and short story writer who performed internationally, Okereke had her early work published in Bum Rush, The Page and Callaloo literary magazine. She was shortlisted for the Undiscovered Authors Competition in 2006, as well as for the Daily Telegraph's Write a Novel in a Year Competition 2007.

She's the Pearl of Makoko and the world is her oyster. In Makoko, the floating slum off mainland Lagos, Nigeria, nineteen-year-old Baby yearns for an existence where she can escape the future her father has planned for her. With opportunities scarce, Baby jumps at the chance to join a newly launched drone-mapping project, aimed at broadening the visibility of her community.

Then a video of her at work goes viral and Baby finds herself with options she could never have imagined - including the possibility of leaving her birthplace to represent Makoko on the world stage. But will life beyond the lagoon be everything she's dreamed of? Or has everything she wants been in front of her all along?

ABI ISHOLA-AYODEJI first worked as a journalist, there, Abi showcased her talent across a diverse range of platforms, including ELLE.com, PBS, Ebony.com, CUNY TV, and more. Her 18-year-long career has seen her cover extraordinary people, communities, and events from New York City to Paris and from Nigeria to Ghana. In 2017, Essence Magazine named her among its Woke 100 Women for launching Beyond Classically Beautiful, an acclaimed photo story and media platform celebrating women of color who defy traditional beauty standards.

Patience Adewale, the eldest daughter of Chief Kolade Adewale, has been waiting for confirmation that she is loved, that there is a place where she truly belongs. Patience wants to know why her father and uncle banished her mother from their compound years ago—and whether her mother is even alive. Determined to discover the truth, Patience embarks on a desperate search to find her mother.

CHIOMA OKEREKE & ABI ISHOLA-AYODEJI in conversation with Karis McPherson, BEYOND BOUNDARIES PANEL 9