Namina Forna
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Namina Forna | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1987 Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Occupation | Author, Screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Young adult, fantasy |
| Notable works | The Gilded Ones |
| Website | |
| naminaforna | |
Namina Forna (born 9 January 1987) is an American author of young adult fiction and screenwriter. Her debut novel The Gilded Ones was published in February 2021 and quickly entered the New York Times and Indie Bestseller lists.[1][2][3]
Early life
Namina Forna was born and grew up in Freetown, the capitol of Sierra Leone. After her parents divorced, Forna's mother moved to Atlanta. However, due to the looming civil war and general political instability in Sierra Leone, her father decided to also send his 9-year-old daughter to live with her mother.
Forna loved reading as a child. In an interview with Elle, she explained that reading was her way of escaping the atrocities of the civil war.[4]
In Atlanta, she attended the Spelman College, a private historically black women's liberal arts college. After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts at Spelman, Forna moved to Los Angeles, California, where she attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts, from which she earned a Master of Fine Arts in film and TV production.
Career
In an interview with The Guardian, Forna said that her father and grandmother were the ones to inspire her to become an author. As a child she heard them tell stories about strong women, such as Mami Wata, the goddess of water, and the Dahomey Amazons. She later found that western literature lacked black female heroes, and she was driven to change this.[5]
Forna became the first Sierra Leonean American to land a book deal with a major publisher for a young adult fantasy novel. A week after the 2021 release of her debut novel, The Gilded Ones, Deadline Hollywood announced that the independent film production company Makeready had signed Forna to write the script for a film adaptation.[6]
Personal life
Namina Forna is daughter of the Honorable A. G. Sembu Forna, a noted Sierra Leonean politician,[7][8] and her mother is Ambassador and former Sierra Leone deputy minister of foreign affairs, Ebun Strasser-King.[9]
Bibliography
The Deathless series
- The Gilded Ones (February 9, 2021) ISBN 978-1-984-84869-7
References
- ^ "'The Gilded Ones' by Author Namina Forna". PenguinRandomHouse. February 9, 2021.
- ^ "New York Times Bestseller - Namina Forna, The Gilded Ones". New York Times. February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Indie Bestsellers - 'The Gilded Ones' by Namina Forna" (PDF). American Booksellers Association. February 24, 2021.
- ^ "'The Gilded Ones' Author Namina Forna On Fleeing Sierra Leone And Confronting The American Dream". Elle. February 4, 2021.
- ^ "As a Black Lord of the Rings fan, I felt left out of fantasy worlds. So I created my own". The Guardian. February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Makeready Options New Fantasy Trilogy 'The Gilded Ones;' Sets Tyro Author Namina Forna To Adapt". Deadline. February 11, 2021.
- ^ "Hail the Power Brokers". The Patriotic Vanguard. September 19, 2005.
- ^ "Cocorioko - APC gives grand farewell to late veteran A.G. Sembu-Forna". November 17, 2018.
- ^ "Sierra Leone deputy minister of foreign affairs – Ebun Strasser King speaks about the advancement of African women". Sierra Leone Telegraph. October 16, 2015.