Dr. Ainehi Edoro, literary scholar and founding editor of Brittle Paper, is set to publish her debut book Forest Imaginaries: How African Novels Think with Columbia University Press in January 2026.
The forthcoming title explores how African writers have used the forest as a creative and political space within fiction. Through studies of authors such as Chinua Achebe, Amos Tutuola, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, the book examines how forests in African literature move beyond traditional symbolism to become sites of worldbuilding and experimentation.
Dr. Edoro, who teaches English and African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, connects the project to her long-standing engagement with African storytelling. She notes that Forest Imaginaries reflects her broader effort to encourage readers to think deeply about how African writers imagine their worlds.
Since founding Brittle Paper in 2010, Edoro has played a defining role in shaping contemporary conversations around African literature. Her upcoming release marks a new chapter in that work, bridging the academic study of fiction with the community of readers who have followed her platform for over a decade.
Pre-order Forest Imaginaries here.
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
