Black British novelist Okechukwu Nzelu appears as part of the Southbank Centre’s Indie Night, an event celebrating some of the most distinctive voices being published by independent presses.
Nzelu is one of the most exciting contemporary Black British novelists working today. His fiction explores race, masculinity, family, sexuality, relationships and the complicated ways people construct their identities.
His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, follows a young mixed-race woman searching for answers about her Nigerian father while navigating questions of family, belonging and Black British identity.
The novel was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Polari First Book Prize, establishing Nzelu as an important new voice in British fiction.
His second novel, Here Again Now, focuses on three generations of Black men and examines love, masculinity, sexuality, memory and the emotional bonds between fathers and sons.
For Black History Month audiences, Nzelu’s work offers a valuable contemporary perspective on Black British life, particularly around subjects that have not always received space within mainstream fiction.
The evening forms part of the Southbank Centre’s Indie Night series, which shines a spotlight on independent publishers and the writers whose work is helping broaden the range of stories being published in Britain.
Nzelu appears alongside novelist Eliza Clark, giving audiences an opportunity to hear both writers discuss their work, creative processes and experiences of publishing outside the traditional literary mainstream.
The event is also part of London Literature Festival 2026, bringing together established and emerging writers from across Britain and internationally.
Indie Night: October – Okechukwu Nzelu and Eliza Clarke takes place in the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre on Friday 23rd October 2026 at 7:45pm.
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