ABOUT DAMILOLA ONWAH

Damilola Onwah is a Nigerian-American writer with an infectious zest for life.

Her work explores fractured families, exile and return, and the complex legacies of faith. An R&B enthusiast, Damilola draws creative inspiration from music and infuses her work with the genre’s cultural relevance and emotional depth.

Damilola’s essays and fiction have appeared in publications like Transition Magazine, Brittle Paper, The Bangalore Review, and more. Her novel in progress has been supported by 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.

Damilola writes toward the spiritual clarity of Marilynne Robinson, the diasporic ingenuity of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and the dark wit of Frank McCourt, with a voice that is intimate, resonant, and unafraid to name what we’re often told to hide.

Originally from Nigeria, Damilola 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 product manager in various leading tech companies.

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.