How You Grow Wings | Rimma Onoseta with Candice Iloh

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Join us in celebrating the release of debut novel HOW YOU GROW WINGS by Rimma Onoseta, in conversation with Candice Iloh!

About How You Grow Wings

Sisters Cheta and Zam couldn’t be more different. Pitted against each other, both sisters have dreams of leaving their village and their violent mother and absent father for good. Older sister Cheta, often the target of their mother’s abuse, is sharp-tongued, stubborn, and never shies away from conflict. Timid Zam, favored by their mother for her light skin and willingness to obey orders, skates under the radar and avoids her sister at all costs. In a turn of good fortune, Zam is invited to live with her aunt’s family in the lap of luxury, while Cheta is forced to stay behind. Jealous and desperate, Cheta also leaves home, but to a harder existence that drives her to terrible decisions. When the sisters are reunited, Zam alone will recognize just how far Cheta has fallen—and Cheta’s fate will rest in Zam’s hands.

RIMMA ONOSETA is a Nigerian writer whose work explores identity, familial bonds, and the colonial corruption of African spirituality. She holds a degree in Finance from Northeastern University and an MBA from Suffolk University. Onoseta grew up reading late into the night, under her covers, with a flashlight and snacks. She writes stories she wanted to read when she was younger, stories about young Nigerians girls who are chaotic and fierce, and who question what they’re taught. When she’s not writing, Onoseta enjoys traveling and watching documentaries.

Candice Iloh is a first-generation Nigerian American writer from the Midwest by way of Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, New York whose books center home, self-awareness, and black sustainability. They are a proud alumna of the Rhode Island Writers Colony and their work has earned fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, Kimbilio Fiction and a residency with Hi-ARTS, where they debuted their first one-person show in 2018. Candice became a 2020 National Book Award Finalist and in 2021, a Printz Award Honoree for their debut novel, Every Body Looking. Break This House is their second novel.