Peter Kimani earned his doctorate in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston, and is a faculty member at Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi. A leading African writer of his generation, Kimani was one of three international poets commissioned by NPR to compose and present a poem marking Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2009. Dance of the Jakaranda, his third novel, was recently published by Akashic Books.