Titilope Sonuga is a poet, playwright and performer whose work grasps moments of tenderness and persistent joy at the intersection of blackness and womanhood. She is a leading voice in local and international poetry communities who has travelled extensively as an artist and facilitated adult and youth poetry workshops worldwide. She has served on various artistic and community boards in Edmonton and is the founder of the Breath In Poetry Collective.

Titilope is the author of three award-winning collections of poetry, Down to Earth (2011), Abscess (2014), nd This Is How We Disappear (2019), and has composed and released two spoken word albums, Mother Tongue (2011) and Swim (2019). Sonuga has written three plays, The Six; an intergenerational exploration of womanhood, Naked; a one-woman play and Ada The Country, a musical. She has scripted global advertising campaigns for brands including; The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, Intel Corporation, Guaranty Trust Bank and The MacArthur Foundation.

She was a writer and actor on the hit television series Gidi Up, which aired across Africa. Her writing has been translated into Italian, German and Slovak. 

On July 1, 2021, Titilope Sonuga became Edmonton’s ninth Poet Laureate.

“Since 2005 the City of Edmonton has been entrusting artists to observe and reflect our lives, our city, and our people through poetry,” says Mayor Don Iveson. “I am delighted to welcome powerhouse local poet and community builder Titilope Sonuga to the role of Edmonton’s Poet Laureate and see how she transforms the role, and our city through her passion and stunning prose.” 

Supported by the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Arts Council, and the Edmonton Public Library, the role of Edmonton’s Poet Laureate is to reflect the life of the city through readings and poetry. As an ambassador for the literary arts, the Laureate brings poetry into a range of official and informal city events. 

Instagram: @titilope