Tolu Oloruntoba

Tolu Oloruntoba is a Nigerian-Canadian poet, physician, and public health professional. He is best known for his debut poetry collection, The Junta of Happenstance, which won the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry at the 2021 Governor General's Awards and the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2022.[1][2]

Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Oloruntoba trained as a physician before emigrating to Canada. He later transitioned into healthcare leadership and has worked in British Columbia as a manager of virtual health projects.[3]

His writing explores themes including migration, identity, memory, illness, family, colonialism, and belonging. His poems have appeared in numerous literary journals in Canada and internationally.[3]

Career

Oloruntoba's first chapbook, Manubrium, was shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award in 2020.[3]

His debut full-length poetry collection, The Junta of Happenstance, was published by Palimpsest Press in 2021. The collection received widespread critical acclaim and won the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry and the Griffin Poetry Prize, becoming one of the most celebrated Canadian poetry collections of the year.[1][2]

His second poetry collection, Each One a Furnace, was published in 2022 and was shortlisted for several Canadian literary awards.[4]

Works

Awards and honours

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Governor General's Literary Awards 2021 Winners". Canada Council for the Arts. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Tolu Oloruntoba wins the 2022 Griffin Poetry Prize". Griffin Poetry Prize. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ly, David (29 July 2021). "'A poem is never done': An Interview with Tolu Oloruntoba". Prism International. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Each One a Furnace". Palimpsest Press. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolu_Oloruntoba