Nigerian
First Language(s): Yoruba
Second Language(s):
English
Eniolá Abdulroqeeb Arówólò is a writer from Nigeria and a member of the Frontiers Collective. A Pushcart nominee, his works have appeared — or are forthcoming — in 4faced Liar, Anmly, Fourth River Review, Rulerless, Perhappened, Lumiere Review, Temz Review, Ake Review, Sunlight Press, Kissing Dynamite, Brittle Paper, Ice Floe Press, Afritondo, Better than Starbucks, Tint Journal, Rough Cut Press, Lammergeier, and elsewhere. James Baldwin is his most-cherished essayist. Tweet him @eniola_abdulroq.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I didn't really have a specific favourite book as a child because I didn't do much reading then. Simply put, I was a late bloomer.
What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?
The motivation, I'd say, behind my creative journey would be that it is borne out of the fact that I saw creative writing as the only way I could articulate what I often feel inside. And by the time I was reading Wole Soyinka and became friends with creative writers, I just wanted to exude all the beauty and bruises I have held all inside.
What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?
The most adventurous thing for me would be when I had the guts to climb the tall guava tree in my maternal grandmother's village when we visited the place for holiday. That happened a long time ago, and it was a very fulfilling experience. Both hilarious and puerile, so to speak, but I like the reminiscence of those day
Do you listen to music while reading or writing?
No. Just as Rainer Maria Rilke said in Letters to a Young Poet, I enjoy every "modicum of silence and solitude" whenever I want to write. A tiny interference of any kind of noise — be it semantic, physical, psychological or technical — can hamper the success of my writing output.
Poetry
History Book
Issue Spring '23
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