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.

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.

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.

Works

Manubrium (chapbook, 2020) The Junta of Happenstance (2021) Each One a Furnace (2022)

Awards and honours

Shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award (2020) Governor General's Award for English-language poetry (2021) Griffin Poetry Prize (2022)