ABOUT DAMILOLA ONWAH

Damilola Onwah is a Nigerian writer, culture critic, and creative entrepreneur with an infectious zest for life.

As a writer, her work explores identity and belonging, unconventional family structures, and the trials and triumphs of the underdog. A singer and R&B enthusiast, she draws creative inspiration from music and infuses her work with the genre’s cultural relevance and emotional depth.

Damilola’s essays, fiction, and poetry have appeared in publications like Catapult, Brittle Paper, The Bangalore Review, and more. Her novel in progress has garnered support from Hedgebrook, Monson Arts, and the Writers’ League of Texas. Uphill Toward Home, her evolving collection of essays about migrating to the United States, was a finalist for the 2024 Kenyon Review Developmental Editing Fellowship.

Originally from Nigeria, Damilola moved to the United States in 2014. She holds an MBA and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, where she received both the Booth 1898 Scholarship and the PEO International Peace Scholarship. After graduation, she worked as a technology product manager at Amazon and Whole Foods Market.

Damilola also hosts Zero Generation, a podcast exploring the millennial immigrant experience in the Global West. She lives in Seattle with her husband and dreams of moving back to Chicago, her adopted U.S. hometown, or Ibadan, her home of origin.

She is represented by Candice Marie Benbow of Gardner Literary.