Maya Angelou Book Award Winner Buki Papillon!

We’re thrilled to welcome Buki Papillon to Unbound this April! Buki’s astonishing debut novel, An Ordinary Wonder, is the winner of this year’s Maya Angelou Book Award, which was created to honor the legacy of Missouri-born author Maya Angelou. The award recognizes contemporary authors whose work demonstrates a commitment to social justice and diversifies contemporary American literature.

Credit: Ryuki Suzuki

Buki Papillon was born in Nigeria, the oldest of six. After studying law at Hull University in the UK, she completed an MFA in Creative Writing at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her debut novel, An Ordinary Wonder, has received rave reviews and mentions in the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Essence, Cosmopolitan UK and more, and is brilliantly narrated in audiobook by Bridgerton Actor, Adjoa Andoh. Buki has received several fellowships and awards for her writing and is an alumnus of Key West Literary, Vermont Studio Center and Vona Voices residencies and workshops. Her work was published in Post Road Magazine and The Del Sol Review. She has in the past been a travel adviser, events host and chef. Buki currently lives in Boston, where she is resigned to finding inspiration in the long winters.