Chris Abani is a Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist. His works explore the struggles of the oppressed and marginalized, often in a postcolonial context. He is the author of numerous books, including the novels The Secret History of Las Vegas and GraceLand, the poetry collections Sanctificum and Daphne's Lot, and the memoir The Face: Cartography of the Void.