









Adedayo Agarau is a Nigerian poet, editor, and educator. Born in 1994, he attended Bodma International School Ibadan (1996-2003), Ibadan Boys High School (2004-2007), and Scores College, Ibadan (2007-2009). He holds an N.D. and H.N.D. in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from The Federal Polytechnic, Ede (2015) and The Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (2019), respectively.
Agarau received his M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of Iowa in 2023 and is currently a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University (2023-2025). His debut collection, The Year of Blood, is forthcoming from Fordham University Press (Fall 2025). His writing is represented by Salma Begum at The Greyhound Literary Agency.
His work has appeared in publications including Poetry Foundation, Iowa Review, Transition, and World Literature Today. Agarau is the author of five chapbooks, including The Origin of Name, selected for the New-Generation African Poets series by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani (Akashic Books, 2020), The Arrival of Rain (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2020), and Memento: An Anthology of Contemporary Nigerian Poetry (Animal Heart Press, 2020).
Agarau has been recognized as a finalist for the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship, the Montreal Prize, and the Narrative Magazine Annual Poetry Contest. He is a Cave Canem Fellow and was selected to participate in the Watermill Residency in New York.
Agarau has participated in numerous literary festivals, including the Lagos International Poetry Festival, where he served as a panelist discussing “Silk Routes for African Verse: A Creative Economy” (2023). He has also been featured at the Benue Books and Arts Festival (2022), and has presented at the Abuja International Poetry Festival (2024).
His poems have been featured in exhibitions at the Wellcome Collections of Medicine in London and the Paris Photo Exhibition. Currently, Agarau serves as Poetry Book Reviews Editor at The Rumpus and as Editor-in-Chief of Agbowo Magazine. He has taught at Stanford University, the University of Iowa, and various programs in Nigeria.
Agarau is actively involved in developing literary communities in Nigeria. He is a member of The UnSerious Collective Fellowship, an initiative supporting emerging Nigerian writers. Additionally, he is a founding editor of Poetry Sango-Ota, which organizes poetry workshops and mentoring opportunities for young Nigerian poets.
Agarau is fluent in English, Pidgin, and Yoruba. His work often explores themes of migration, cultural memory, and postcolonial identity.
SELECTED AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS
The 2024 Best Spiritual Literature Awards
16th Annual Poetry Contest, Narrative Magazine
Finalist
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship
Finalist
The Montreal Prize
Finalist
16th Annual Poetry Contest, Narrative Magazine
Finalist
Wales Poetry Prize
Third Place
Poetic Justice Institute Editor's Prize
Winner
Alpine International Prize for Poetry
Shortlist
Ledbury Poetry Prize
Runner up
Wallace Stegner Fellowship
Deena Davidson Friedman Scholarship
John C. Shupe Scholarship
Summer scholarship from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cave Canem Fellow
Watermill Residency, New York
Frontier Open Poetry Prize,
Finalist
Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
Finalist
Brunel International African Poetry Prize
Shortlist
Robert Hayden Scholarship Fellow, Stockton University
The Stanley Award for International Research, University of Iowa
New Generation African Poets Selected by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani,
Palette Poetry Prize
Longlist
Palette Poetry Prize
Longlist
Sundress Best of the Net Poetry Prize
Finalist
The 99 Most Influential Nigerians in Art
YNaija
Frontier Poetry Industry Prize
3rd Place
Sehvage Poetry Prize
Runner Up
Babishai Niwe Poetry Prize
Shortlist
Eriata Oribhabor Food Poetry Prize
Winner
Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize
Runner Up
Tony Tokunbo Fernández Poetry Prize
The 2024 Best Spiritual Literature Awards
16th Annual Poetry Contest, Narrative Magazine
Finalist
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship
Finalist
The Montreal Prize
Finalist
16th Annual Poetry Contest, Narrative Magazine
Finalist
Wales Poetry Prize
Third Place
Poetic Justice Institute Editor's Prize
Winner
Alpine International Prize for Poetry
Shortlist
Ledbury Poetry Prize
Runner up
Wallace Stegner Fellowship
Deena Davidson Friedman Scholarship
John C. Shupe Scholarship
Summer scholarship from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cave Canem Fellow
Watermill Residency, New York
Frontier Open Poetry Prize,
Finalist
Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
Finalist
Brunel International African Poetry Prize
Shortlist
Robert Hayden Scholarship Fellow, Stockton University
The Stanley Award for International Research, University of Iowa
New Generation African Poets Selected by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani,
Palette Poetry Prize
Longlist
Palette Poetry Prize
Longlist
Sundress Best of the Net Poetry Prize
Finalist
The 99 Most Influential Nigerians in Art
YNaija
Frontier Poetry Industry Prize
3rd Place
Sehvage Poetry Prize
Runner Up
Babishai Niwe Poetry Prize
Shortlist
Eriata Oribhabor Food Poetry Prize
Winner
Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize
Runner Up