Yewande Omotoso

Biography

Yewande Omotoso is a Barbadian-born, Nigerian-raised, and South African-based novelist, architect, and designer. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, she moved to Nigeria as an infant and later to South Africa in 1992. She holds degrees in architecture and creative writing from the University of Cape Town. Omotoso's works explore the complexities of human experiences and the incongruities of life. Her debut novel, Bom Boy (2011), won the SA Literary Award First Time Author Prize. Her critically acclaimed novel, The Woman Next Door (2016), was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and longlisted for the Baileys Women's Literature Prize. Her latest novel, An Unusual Grief, was published in 2022. Omotoso views writing as an architectural practice, a way to contemplate ourselves within spaces and places. She also contributes short stories to various publications and teaches creative writing workshops.

Social & Reach