For Olakunle Ologunro, the fellowship marks a recognition of his emerging literary influence and an opportunity to further develop his craft within a supportive and creative environment.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
Nigerian writer, Olakunle Ologunro, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing at Colgate University for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Ologunro, who holds an MFA from The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, joins a lineage of Nigerian writers who have benefited from the fellowship early in their careers, including Chinelo Okparanta, Ajibola Tolase, and Gbenga Adesina.
His work has earned recognition through awards and scholarships such as the Elizabeth George Foundation grant, the Tennessee Williams Scholarship for the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Juniper Summer Workshop Scholarship. He has also been named a 2025 Emerging Writer Fellow in Fiction at Aspen Words.
His stories, which explore diverse facets of contemporary life and imagination, have appeared in publications and anthologies including Story Magazine, Lolwe, the Queer Africa anthology, and the Feel Good anthology. Joining Ologunro as a fellow is poet Ziyuan Tang from Beijing, MFA holder from Boston University, highlighting the fellowship’s global scope.
The fellowship, considered one of the most distinguished opportunities for emerging writers in the United States, provides a stipend of $58,800, office space, and an intellectual community for writers completing their first books. Fellows also teach one multigenre creative writing workshop per semester and give a public reading of their work during the year-long residency.
The Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship is open to writers completing their first books across all genres, with applications for the 2026-2027 cycle closing on January 12, 2026. Interested writers can find submission details on the Colgate University Creative Writing Fellowship page.
For Olakunle Ologunro, the fellowship marks a recognition of his emerging literary influence and an opportunity to further develop his craft within a supportive and creative environment.