Organic fantasy

This article discusses the genesis of Nnedi Okorafor's young adult fantasy novels. According to Okorafor, though her work is accurately defined as fantasy, it emerges as such from a different path than traditional fantasy. This path is directly connected to her conflicting American and Nigerian cultural experiences and her own views of the world. Okorafor cites several personal and literary examples to illustrate this idea. She coins her brand of speculative fiction as 'organic fantasy', fantasy fiction that emerges from the very nature of its story. In addition, Okorafor notes that two African authors, Ben Okri and Ngugi wa Thiong'o, also write organic fantasy. Okorafor-Mbachu focuses on several of Okri's novels and one of Ngugi's, Wizard of the crow.