JJ Amaworo Wilson is an Anglo-American-Nigerian novelist, short story writer, essayist, poet, playwright, critic, and educator. He grew up in the UK and has lived in eleven countries.
His novel Damnificados won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction, the Independent Publishers Book Award, the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award, and the Prix Révélation de Traduction (French edition), and was on Oprah’s Top 10 Books to Read Now list. The novel has been translated into several languages. His second novel, Nazaré, won the Independent Publishers Book Award, the Foreword Indies Book Award, and the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award.
Amaworo Wilson also writes books about language and language learning. For two of these books he was honored at Buckingham Palace in 2008 and 2011.
He is the writer-in-residence at Western New Mexico University and teaches on Stonecoast’s MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Southern Maine. He was the founding Editorial Director of Mimbres Press of WNMU and co-chair of Southwest Word Fiesta. Amaworo Wilson lives in Silver City, New Mexico, USA.
Receiving an award for Speakout in Buckingham Palace, 2011. Co-authors: Antonia Clare, Frances Eales, and Steve Oakes.
RECENT AWARDS, HONORS, RECOGNITION
2022 Nazaré: a novel wins the Independent Publisher Book Award.
2022 Nazaré: a novel wins the Foreword Indies Book Award.
2022 Nazaré: a novel wins the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award.
2022 Nazaré: a novel is nominated for the William Saroyan International Prize with the citation: “An exceptional novel . . . an allegory for our time.”
2021 Named as Editorial Director of Mimbres Press, a new publishing house run by Western New Mexico University.
2019 Les Dévastés, the French edition of Damnificados, translated by Camille Nivelle, wins the Prix Révélation de Traduction from Société des Gens de Lettres.
2017 Damnificados wins the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction and is named as a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award.
2017 Damnificados wins the Independent Publisher Book Award for Multicultural Fiction.
2017 Damnificados is named a finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award for Literary Fiction and nominated for an American Book Award.
2016 Damnificados wins the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for Fiction; was named on a Top Ten Picks list in ‘O’, The Oprah Winfrey Magazine; and was named no. 1 on Bookriot’s ‘Books to Read in January’ list.
2016 Named an honorary member of Delta Mu Delta.
2014 Named a member of the Academy of American Poets.
2013 Named a New Mexico Humanities Council Scholar.
2012 Speakout is shortlisted for the British Council Innovation in ELT Award.
2011 Speakout wins the Duke of Edinburgh English Speaking Union Award for Best Book.
2010 Appointed writer-in-residence at Western New Mexico University, USA.
2008 How to Teach Listening wins the Duke of Edinburgh English Speaking Union Award Best Book for Teachers.
2008 How to Teach Listening is shortlisted for the Ben Warren Prize.
AFFILIATIONS
Society of Authors
Academy of American Poets
PEN USA
NAACP
Delta Mu Delta
Southwest Festival of the Written Word
REPRESENTATION
Liepman Literary Agency
info@liepmanagency.com
JJ Amaworo Wilson, author 
JJ, thanks so much for taking a deep geography look at Melange Block.
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My pleasure, Denise. It’s a terrific collection. I hope it gets the audience it deserves.
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wow, JJ thanks for sharing such a beautiful story.
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Thank you, Priscila, for reading this and for sharing it!
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Hi. I am a Yazigi School Franchisee( Pearson) and attended your lectures with my team of teachers. We are all impressed. I need to ask you something. Can you give me your e-mail address?
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Hi Denise. Best to reach me on jjawilson@hotmail.com, but I think you already found me on my university address. 🙂
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You are such an inspiration to me and all the guys who played rugby with you, it was a pleasure to have met you, best regards from Mexico.
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Jesus, thank you so much for this comment! Actually, you guys inspire me. It was great to spend time with you all, and I hope we get the chance to do it again.
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I enjoyed attending your plenary sessions in Oran, Algeria, at British Council ELT conference. Respect !
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Thank you, Hannachi. I loved the conference, too, especially meeting so many wonderful teachers!
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I was so happy to attend your plenary sessions in Oran, Algeria, at British Council ELT conference.!
I will try to imitate what you had done with my students cause I want to improve their english learning.So big Thank you sir.Respect!
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Thank you, Radia. I was happy to be there. It was a wonderful experience talking to the teachers. I hope to return soon …
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Ohhhh Man you are so good! I’m mad about your pronunciation ,your words and all your sessions at the British Council ELT Conference in Oran.Happy to see you closer but disappointed not to take just a pic with you.Wishing you plenty of Success in your life.I just say all this in one sentence: You have been inspired all the Algerian English teachers.Hat off
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Thank you, Mohamed! I appreciate it! I had a great time meeting the teachers in Oran.
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Hope to see you again in Algeria.
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I hope so, too, Mohamed. Thanks for visiting my blog!
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I was very delighted to attend your final plenary session in the third International Conference in Oran ,Algeria.Thanks a lot.
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Thank you, Makhlouf. It was a fantastic conference and I really enjoyed meeting the teachers. A great introduction to Algeria!
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Dear JJ, thanks again for your availability last Sunday!
My TV segment on the Brooklyn Book Festival will air tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 22nd, on BRIC TV in the context of BK Live from 12 to 1pm. You are in it!
Here’s the link for the Live streaming:
http://bkindiemedia.bricartsmedia.org/
If you can’t catch it today you’ll find it soon on BRIC TV Youtube channel:
Hope you enjoy it!
Best,
Filippo
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Thanks, Filippo! I love BRIC TV!
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Dear JJ,
I’ve only just read your blog, and being a bit of a Luddite, only just learning about blogs etc and trying to set one up myself, I’m not even sure how to contact you.
I’m Senior Research Associate at UCL-IoE and Associate Lecturer at the Open Uni, and would like to talk to you about writing a chapter for an edited collection.
Please make contact …
Maureen Ellis
Somerset UK
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Hi, Maureen. You can contact me at jjawilson@hotmail.com.
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Congratulations on the success of Damnificados. I just listened to your talk at Southwest Writers. Very inspiring.
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Thank you! It’s very kind of you to say so!
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I enjoyed your plennary session today at TESOL Convention, thank you for being so inspiring! I’m looking forward to reading “Damnificados”. 🙂
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Thank you, María! Hope you like the book!
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Thank you!
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Do you remember the conversation we had years ago at Machabeng about writing and following your instincts as a writer? Good for you JJ. I have my first book coming out next year and am looking forward to reading yours. Best wishes to you and the family.
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Fantastic, Sara! How amazing to hear from you after all these years! I hope life is treating you well. Let me know the title of your book. I’d love to read it.
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Hi I’m Taylor Michael and I’m writing from A Public Space in reply to a story you submitted to us in March. We contacted you through Submittable a few weeks ago and are wondering if you received the email, and if you could reply to taylor@apublicspace.org. Thanks in advance
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Guten Tag Herr JJ Amaworo Wilson ……. Uschi hier von Sued Afrika….. Habe gerade eben Ihre “Nelson Mandela – Happy Centenary” gelesen und moechte Sie gerne anschreiben wegen “Mandela Youth Leadership Summit 2021″…….
Koennten Sie bitte per whatsapp (+27 82 481 0440) oder email (uschi9979@gmail.com) antworten. Freue mich schon auf Ihre Antwort.
Freundliche Gruesse …………. Uschi
Ursula Brown – Director
Mandela Youth Leadership Summit 2021
e: uschi9979@gmail.com
Mobile/WhatsApp : +27 82 481 0440
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Thank you , once again, for the amazing and inspiring talks at the 36th APPI Conference, in Lisbon. Céu S.
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Thank you, Maria!
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Hello from Brazil.
I have emailed info@liepmanagency.com about a presentation for an Academic Event. Please, let me know if I should email any other contact.
Thank you!
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Sorry – I missed this! You can always email me directly at jjawilson@hotmail.com.
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