Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is an American speculative fiction author known for exploring urgent social themes through imaginative narratives. He published his debut short-story collection, Friday Black, in 2018, which established him as an important voice in contemporary fiction. Adjei-Brenyah's work has received significant recognition from major literary institutions. In 2018, he was named a 5 under 35 Honoree by the National Book Foundation, and in 2019 he won the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. His second book, the novel Chain-Gang All-Stars, published in 2023, was shortlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction and was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2023 by The New York Times. In 2025, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, further cementing his status as a significant contemporary writer.