Okechukwu Nzelu

Yesterday I was awarded an honorary PhD from @kingstonuniversity in recognition of my outstanding contribution to literature and reading pleasure. This is a huge, incredibly humbling honour and I’m so happy that I was able to join the celebrations of so many students graduating yesterday. Thank you @kingstonuniversity for picking my debut for The Big Read in 2021, and allowing me to join your community; thank you @dialoguepublishing for bringing my work to the world! Thank you @jamesmaxstables always. On with the next book…

Had a lovely time at my PhD graduation today in Lancaster, followed by the ultimate celebration meal (pub fish & chips). Special thanks to aunt & uncle and partner. And to my pocket fan for helping me wear all that fabric in 20 degree heat. I really enjoyed writing my thesis and I can’t wait to help others along the journey.

What an honour to be made a Fellow of the @royalsocietyofliterature this evening at the @gardenmuseum in London. It’s beyond words and I want to say a huge thank you to whoever nominated and elected me. No idea who you are (and apparently we’re not allowed to know, which makes sense), but this really means a lot. This has been a wonderful opportunity to feel immersed in the literary community for an evening, before I go back to the trenches tomorrow with my next book(s). Thank you to the wonderful @bernardineevaristo and @daljit.nagra1234 for your leadership of such an important institution. Obviously though, the biggest thanks go to boyfriend and photog extraordinaire, @jamesmaxstables and to @elizabday for capturing the evening beautifully 📸 Congratulations to everyone who was Fellowed tonight!

"I didn't realise, that a writer can do what they want." ⁣ ⁣ Francesca Pavis chats to author and academic, Okechukwu Nzelu, at Manchester Central Library about their love of reading and the books everyone should read. ⁣ ⁣

Yesterday’s parkrun was my first one that involved an athletics track. I used to love sprinting in competitions when I was a teenager but I used to get so nervous, to the point I couldn’t eat beforehand. Obviously not ideal. Since then I’ve taken up running longer distances and I’m much less bothered about competing (which is a good thing, because I am not that fast). Still, it was quite powerful being on a real athletics track again. Even the bouncy feel of the track under my feet took me back.

Huge congratulations to @marxia1 , whose debut novel THE MERCY STEP has been longlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize! Incredible achievement, and what a great evening celebrating

Get essential 121 writing advice at Northern Lights Writers’ Conference with our brilliant advisers @nzeluwrites @melliver @jjhlinklater @lizziebooks17 Sessions are bookable on the day, all this plus panel talks and workshops on the craft & industry of writing. Booking link & event info in bio. #literature #publishing #poetry #scriptwriting #copyright

Some placards from the Manchester Marathon today

New York City was so much fun. Please see attached: Parkrun, Broadway, the Best Chicken in the World at @fishcheeksnyc , the skyline, the Highline, street art, the Immigration Museum at Ellis Island, and the @nypl . I am posting this from my bed while I push through jet lag and wash every single item of clothing I wore on the subway.

March was cute! Went to Todmorden with @jamesmaxstables and saw Sherpa K (James also did some running, which I applauded heartily from the finish line), then the Folk Festival in Manchester, a failed flapjack that looked real nice in the baking tray, then some much-needed time in London with friends, and some dog walking here and there. (Not pictured: me bleeding, sweating and tearing over this book of which I WILL be master one day.) Put that in your explore page and smoke it.

🔥🔥 Interview - Indie Night - London's latest literature event 🔥🔥 Celebrating independent publishers and books that defy the ordinary, Indie Night arrives at the Southbank Centre as a rare kind of literary gathering: one that places risk, conversation and collective discovery at its heart. Curated by Head of Literature and Spoken Word Ted Hodgkinson, and co-hosted by writers Eliza Clark and Okechukwu Nzelu, the quarterly series creates space for voices that resist easy categorisation – and for audiences who want to encounter literature as a live, shared experience. INTERVIEW with @tedhodgkinson + @fancyeliza + @nzeluwrites Read the full interview in our Zine. Link in bio. >>EVENT INFO<< LAUNCH DATE: Wed 25 Feb 2026, 7.45pm NEXT DATE: Wed 3 Jun 2026, 7.45pm Venue: Purcell Room @southbankcentre Guest Authors reading live at the launch: Deepa Anappara @deepa.anappara Khairani Barokka @mailbykite Vigdis Hjorth Tim MacGabhann With an introduction from Max Porter @maxmaxporter INTERVIEW - Ted, Eliza and Oke chat more about Indie Night and share nine insider tips for bookish spaces across London, offering new places to quench your joie de vivre. Read the full interview in our Zine. Link in bio.

As deep as humanity itself – novelist Okechukwu Nzelu on the classical influences in Wuthering Heights.