Jumoke Verissimo

Jumoke Verissimo is a prolific poet, writer, novelist and children’s author whose expertise will enrich the creative writing and postcolonial course offerings of the Department of English. 

Jumoke has authored two poetry collections (I am memory and The Birth of Illusion); a novel; (Small Silence); a co-edited collection of poems on police brutality in Nigeria (Sòròsókè) and a children’s book (Aduke and the Moon’s Hidden Secret), which she also translated into Yoruba. Her works have been widely anthologized and translated into several languages, including Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, French, and Macedonian. Jumoke’s awards and honors include Edinburgh Festival First Book Award (Shortlist), RSL Ondaatje Prize (Shortlist), James Patrick Folinsbee Memorial Scholarship in Creative Writing (Winner), NLNG Prize for Literature (Shortlist), and the Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize (Winner). 

Jumoke’s teaching and research interests in African literary criticism and literature, memory studies, and traumatic affect provide new critical lenses and international connections for students taking English courses. Additionally, her experience in the publishing industry, participation in creative communities in Canada and abroad, and her passion for mentoring students and new writers opens up exciting opportunities for the development of our curriculum and student engagement. We look forward to Jumoke joining us in January 2023.

"As a writer-scholar, I consider Toronto Metropolitan University’s diverse community, downtown location and pulsating energy as a source of inspiration. I am looking forward to both productive interactions with colleagues and students and numerous opportunities for collaboration. I am excited about the many ways TMU will offer opportunities to create, collaborate, teach, and conduct research on ordinary lives in transition and Black imaginations and memory in Canada and beyond."