Novelist, memoirist and MacArthur Fellow Yiyun Li has canceled her Nov. 2 appearance at the University of Minnesota following a death in her family.

The gap on the schedule allows the University to bring in Nigerian novelist Chris Abani. He will read at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 at Coffman Union Theater, 300 Washington Av. SE, Mpls.

Abani is the author of "The Secret History of Las Vegas," which was nominated for the Hurston/Wright 2015 Legacy Award. He has also written other novels and several poetry collections. His essays have appeared in the New York Times, O Magazine, and elsewhere. He lives and teaches in Chicago.

Other writers coming in this fall for the UMN English Writers Series include poets Afaa Michael Weaver and Marcus Wicker, who will read at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 in Walter Library; poet and writer Mary Ruefle, who will read at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at the McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. SE; and novelist Judith Katz, who will read at 4 p.m. Nov. 29 in Lind Hall, 207 Church St. SE.