She spent most of her formative years in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, where she attended the University of Calabar Staff School and Hillside International Nursery School in Cross River State for kindergarten and elementary school, respectively and then Federal Government Girls’ College, Calabar, for her secondary education. She graduated from the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in 1998 and received a Law degree in 2001 from the University of Calabar and then subsequently she was called to the Bar by the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, Nigeria. She married Sean Adetula on July 22, 2003 in Ellicott City, Maryland. She got her Masters’ degree, a L.L.M. in the Law of the United States, at the University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland in May 2004. She devoted over a decade to e-discovery litigation and appellate practice.
Chinwe invested much of her creative energy in writing, publishing, and fashion. She previously owned a clothing line (Calista Clothiers), and most recently published three books via an independent publishing company that she founded in 2014 (StorySheWrote Media). The three books in question include two of which she authored – both works of fiction. Referring to herself as ‘a writer moonlighting as an attorney,’ she founded StorySheWrote Media to amplify the rarely-heard voices and stories of women writers and ‘Afropolitan’ story-tellers, and to address various barriers and limitations to publishing. She served as a consultant, mentor, and resource for writers and authors seeking more insight about the writing craft and the publishing world. She was also an ardent runner who aimed to run races in every State of the U.S. – a goal that she was well on her way to achieving. She enjoyed traveling far and wide with her family and was a devoted wife, mother, sister, and daughter.
She was preceded in death by her father. She is survived by her mother, her husband, and her children: Tide, Tise, and Chloe Tife; and a large immediate and extended family that will miss her dearly, including five siblings: Carolyn I. and Victor C., Jr. (Maryland), Clarita U. (California), and V. Chike and Chi-Chi A. (Nairobi, Kenya).
In lieu of flowers, please make your donations: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8hAnOVc5AU.
