EVENTS
YALC 2026
Venue: Hilton London Metropole, London, England
Time: Saturday, October 31st from 1:00PM-3:50PM
The Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) 2026 is a celebration of all things YA Books
Meet bestselling authors, discover your next favourite read, take part in live panels, workshops and signings, and celebrate everything young adult fiction with fellow book lovers.
In the presence of dystopia Dystopian stories have been a stable part of our reading lists for decades and they show no signs of slowing down now. Our authors discuss how the genre is still relevant, what inspires them and what we can learn from stories showing a world we would rather not live in. Kelechi Okafor, Kelly McCaughrain (Chair), Melissa Welliver, Nisha J. Tuli, Patrick Ness
Whether you’re obsessed with fantasy, romance, dystopian adventures or contemporary favourites, YALC is the ultimate weekend for readers, writers and fandoms alike.
Get your tickets here
The Voice - ‘The Voicenote” Kelechi Okafor wants you to be aware of
South East Londoner - London author launches scheme to give free haircuts for back-to-school season
ELLE - Meet The Black Women Rewriting The Future Of AI
The Voice - Kelechi Okafor is well and truly ‘Awakened’
Education Choices Magazine - Strong Like Me: Inspiring girls to be proud of their strength
iNews - Edge of Here by Kelechi Okafor, review: An afrofuturist Black Mirror shot through with romance
Times Radio - Alexis Conran
BBC 1Xtra Talks with Richie Brave - Traditional African spirituality
The New Scientist - The best new science fiction books of September 2023
The Bookseller (Cover story) - Kelechi Okafor in conversation about romance and crafting short stories
Meet Kelechi as she gets into her bookish bag. If you don’t see your city listed, tag your local bookstore on our Instagram page @booksbykelechnekoff
Books
Order ‘Are You Still Watching’
A high-concept speculative thriller that takes the
best of BLACK MIRROR and SEVERANCE to explore surveillance, capitalism,
AI ethics and social inequality." The Bookseller, best
of Black Publishing 2026-2027
The anticipated YA debut from Kelechi Okafor. Perfect for fans
of Black Mirror and Severance.
The year is 2032. Dorcas has her whole life ahead of her - university,
career, escape from her suffocating small town. There's
only one problem: she has no idea who she wants to be. Then something
impossible happens. A being from another world brings a terrifying
message: her entire life is a reality show broadcast across
the galaxy ... and she's bombing. The audience is bored. Unless
she does something extraordinary - anything - she'll be cancelled.
Permanently. Now Dorcas has one chance to figure out what makes a life worth living. Before her time runs out.
A highly unique, darkly atmospheric dystopian thriller, perfect
for fans of Black Mirror and Severance.
Themes of surveillance capitalism, AI ethics and social inequality.
Kelechi says: 'I want this book to be a story that explores our
interconnectedness within the cosmos, and raises the question of:
in the technological age of social media and reality television,
who do we actually exist for?"
Order from an independent store here, or ask your local bookstore.
Order ‘Awakened
Awakened is my debut novel Set in a near-future where technology is fully integrated in our homes, and a humanoid AI is running for London Mayor, Pels is a journalist desperate to get to the bottom of a spate of disappearances of young Black British people who are then found dead by bodies of water. But her boss is uninterested in her pursuit, instead assigning her to cover the "unreasonable" protests that locals in Benin are staging in opposition to white tourists heading to retreats to partake in their sacred Spirit Vine rituals. He thinks Pels will 'fit right in' and can show the benefits of this type of tourism.
While Pels is sceptical, she has been having strange dreams in which she sees what seem like celestial beings, who tell her she has an unfulfilled destiny, and so a part of her is intrigued by the ceremonies... She'd rather be helping a friend whose brother has just gone missing back in London, but decides to take her bosses' assignment as leverage to then pursue the missing kids investigation.
But when she partakes of the Spirit Vine ceremony in Benin, it unlocks a strange power within her. She learns that this has been her destiny, and that the missing children are part of a large otherworldly conspiracy that only she can stop. As she returns home to a London in turmoil as the cases of missing kids increase, before she can fulfil her destiny and help redirect the dark fate of her world-a fate controlled by people closer to her than she thinks-first she must come to understand and control her newly awakened abilities...
To support me, you can order the book now.
Strong Like Me
Read a Baby Girl’s first picture-book! The heartwarming and inspirational story supports the next generation of baby people (and our inner baby people) to discover their power, champion themselves, and be unapologetically secure in who they are.
Strong Like Me is out now and available at all major booksellers!
Order from an independent store here, or ask your local bookstore.
‘Strong Like Me is a timely picture book debut by writer, social commentator, and podcast host Kelechi Okafor. This inspirational story aims to help children discover their power, champion themselves, and be unapologetically secure in who they are. Packed full of heart, the story opens important conversations around ability, intersectionality, race, and identity.’
- Progressive Preschool Magazine, Spring edition 2024
Kamara loves being super strong - it makes her feel fizzy and zappy! But her classmates and their negative words lead her to question herself and the confidence she has in her physical ability.
With sport's day and the Big Race looming, does Kamara have what it takes to reach the finish line?
“A BEAUTIFUL celebration of STRENGTH in all its forms.”
- Dapo Adeola
Edge Of Here
Enter a world very close to our own... One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.
A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain. And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.
But remember: these experiences will not be without consequences . . .
In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future.
Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways.
Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into worlds that are blazing with possibility, through stories that will lead you right up to the Edge of Here.
Book Orders
Edge of Here is out now!
Buy your copy from all major booksellers in hardback, ebook, and audiobook. For independent bookstores, place an order through your local store, or visit: