Summary

In the MFA program, Ndibe grows as a writer, developing a more concise style and the ability to write more authentic dialogue. Wideman and the other instructors foster a challenging but supportive learning environment, and often host writing workshops with food, to which Ndibe brings spicy Nigerian dishes. Over the course of the workshops, the student writers become “a close-knit, cohesive tribe, a republic forged by letters” (127). One instructor, Hungarian-born Tamas Aczel, particularly impresses Ndibe, who researches Aczel’s background as a dissident in Community Hungary. Ndibe identifies with Aczel’s history of defiance and wants his feedback on his own novel, Arrows of Rain. He shares an excerpt at Aczel’s writer’s workshop, and he receives feedback from his fellow students, but Aczel is silent. After the workshop, Aczel calls Ndibe into his...