Interior of a grand church with high vaulted ceilings, tall stained glass windows, and an ornate altar with a crucifix in the center. Wooden pews line both sides of a red carpet aisle leading to the altar. 
THE CENTER AISLE

“To be Nigerian, queer, and a daughter is to know what it means to walk alone. This is a story of the middle — not the altar, not the exit. The Center Aisle.”

A lyrical and defiant story told from two perspectives, The Center Aisle centers on a daughter’s act of radical self-acceptance at her father's funeral in a Nigerian village.

In a world of rigid tradition, a woman walks down the center aisle in her father's flowing agbada, transforming a moment of private grief into a powerful act of queer visibility.

This narrative explores how personal defiance can become a quiet revolution and how the legacy of love can be passed down not through rules, but through courage.

Published: StoryOne, 2025

Genre: Lyrical Nonfiction / Queer Memoir / Diaspora

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Two women in formal fashion poses against a white background, one standing in a red suit and black hat, and the other sitting on the floor leaning on a small wooden stool, dressed in black with a pearl necklace.
Person standing in front of a white bookshelf decorated with plants, artwork, and books, wearing a green vest, black shorts, white t-shirt, sunglasses, and colorful sneakers.
A dark blue background with various small, white outline drawings including a crying face, a bird, an eye, a tombstone with 'RIP,' a face, a seated person, a gravestone, and a girl with glasses. There is a wooden rocking chair reflected on the blue surface. Red text at the top reads, 'NOBODY PREPARED ME FOR THIS' and '4 DEADLY SINS.' The name 'Jean John-Edo' is at the bottom right in red.