Nnedi Okorafor was raised in Illinois, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She grew up with a foot in both world: attending school in the states but spending vacations with family back in Nigeria.

Her science fiction and fantasy novels reflect both experiences and often center around characters who are trying to figure how to make different parts of their identities fit together. Okorafor is a professor a the University of Buffalo but her writing is gaining her great acclaim, and it’s keeping her busy.

She’s won some of the most prestigious honors for science fiction and fantasy writing, including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. Her novel, Who Fears Death, was recently optioned by HBO and is being adapted for television.

Okorafor, who is set to write a three-issue storyline for Marvel’s Black Panther, joins Morning Shift to talk about what projects she’s up to these days, what inspired her to become a writer in the first place.