Join us for African Book Club, an ongoing series at MoAD, facilitated by co-Founder Faith Adiele. April's selection is A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, a dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession, and political corruption.

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How to participate: Get a copy of the book (you can see all the titles we’ve previously discussed on the MoAD Bookshop), read as much as you can (warning: we will talk about the end), and then join us online to discuss.

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Please note that the time and location of this event are subject to change. Any adjustments will be communicated to registrants in advance of the event. ‍

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About the Book

A dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession, and political corruption from the celebrated author of Stay with Me.

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Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. Because his father has lost his job, Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers, begging when he must, dreaming of a big future.Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of an ascendant politician.When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola's and Eniola’s lives become intertwined. In her breathtaking second novel, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in between.

About the Author

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Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ is the author of Stay With Me and A Spell of Good Things. She holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Literature in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria, and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia (UK) where she was awarded an international bursary for creative writing. In 2021 her play Provenance was produced by the University of East Anglia and Mutiny and exhibited as a multi-screen immersive installation.

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Ayọ̀bámi has written for the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, The Financial Times, BBC, The Guardian (UK), ELLE and others. She has received fellowships and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Ledig House, Sinthian Cultural Centre, Hedgebrook, Ox-bow School of Arts, and Ebedi Hills. In 2017, she won The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts and Culture. Stay With Me won the 9mobile Prize for Literature and Prix Les Afriques, and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize and the Wellcome Book Prize.

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About the Host

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Faith Adiele co-founded and hosts MoAD’s African Book Club, and her monthly column for Detour: Best Stories in Black Travel is syndicated in The Miami Herald. An award-winning memoirist, she contributes to the CALM app, HBO-Max, Alta Magazine, Hyperallergic and others, and her recent work has received Emmy and SoCal Journalism Award nominations. Faith graduated from Harvard College and the University of Iowa’s Writing Workshop and Nonfiction Writing programs. She has a set of hybrid chapbooks about her Nigerian-Nordic-American family forthcoming from Texas Review Press and a travel writing craft guide from Columbia Univ Press. She lives in Oakland and chairs the Writing & Literature program at California College for the Arts.

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