Nigerian-born literary scholar and film critic Maureen Ngozi Eke is also a story-teller/performer, whose stories emerge from
her "mother's pot" and recall those she learnt from her mother and aunts many years past. Eke's stories invite audiences on imaginary
journeys which recreate the mythic and spirit landscapes of her ancestry and heritage, as well as those of other African Diasporic communities
in the Americas and the Caribbean. She has performed her stories in local libraries, museums and bookstores as well as on the local PBS
station and Central Michigan University's Michigan Story Festival. Eke has also appeared in several independent films.
Her literary publications and courses use comparative approaches to explore world literatures, films, and performance traditions. Eke
holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. As one committed to cultural and global diversity and to giving voice to literatures of non-western
cultures and peoples in her courses, she teaches works by African, Asian, South American, Native American and other indigenous writers.
She has directed several NEH summer seminars and institutes; through them Dr. Eke has continued her pedagogical practice by helping teachers
bring world myths and literatures into the lived and learning experiences of students across disciplines and cultures.
Dr. Eke is currently the Associate VP for Diversity and International Education and a professor of English at Central Michigan University.
She specializes in Post-colonial literatures and theory as well as African, African American literatures and African cinema. She has conducted
research in England and Nigeria and has traveled to several countries in Africa, Asia, South East Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East,
connecting with people, their cultures, myths and stories.
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