Tolu Oloruntoba
@tolu.ca
Bumbler, quitter of things, poet, and project management person (in that order).
New Collection: UNRAVEL (McClelland & Stewart, 2025).
Opinions mine. https://bio.site/tolu.ca he/him
New Collection: UNRAVEL (McClelland & Stewart, 2025).
Opinions mine. https://bio.site/tolu.ca he/him
Pinned
Tolu Oloruntoba
@tolu.ca
· 11h
Changed my handle from @toluini.bsky.social to my web domain, @tolu.ca
The previous one remains reserved, and previous links should redirect to the same account (although I don’t know how reliably).
The previous one remains reserved, and previous links should redirect to the same account (although I don’t know how reliably).
I am permitted one hour of clear thought daily, before the house awakes. And I waste half of it on bluesky dot com.
January 15, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I am permitted one hour of clear thought daily, before the house awakes. And I waste half of it on bluesky dot com.
Changed my handle from @toluini.bsky.social to my web domain, @tolu.ca
The previous one remains reserved, and previous links should redirect to the same account (although I don’t know how reliably).
The previous one remains reserved, and previous links should redirect to the same account (although I don’t know how reliably).
January 15, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Changed my handle from @toluini.bsky.social to my web domain, @tolu.ca
The previous one remains reserved, and previous links should redirect to the same account (although I don’t know how reliably).
The previous one remains reserved, and previous links should redirect to the same account (although I don’t know how reliably).
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
How did I miss an new Ann Leckie book coming out in May? Radiant Star is set in her Imperial Radch world and is available on Edelweiss to download now! Which I did of course :)
January 13, 2026 at 6:55 PM
How did I miss an new Ann Leckie book coming out in May? Radiant Star is set in her Imperial Radch world and is available on Edelweiss to download now! Which I did of course :)
Sometimes I’m editing someone’s poetry book and I feel like Rick Rubin. A vibes guy with no credentials or professional skills. I can’t tell you why a change might “help the rhythm” or why a word needs a synonym two syllables shorter. I just know.
a man in a suit and tie is saying `` trust my source bro '' with his hands in the air .
Alt: The guy from History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens” in a suit and tie saying “trust my source bro'” while looking far from credible .
media.tenor.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Sometimes I’m editing someone’s poetry book and I feel like Rick Rubin. A vibes guy with no credentials or professional skills. I can’t tell you why a change might “help the rhythm” or why a word needs a synonym two syllables shorter. I just know.
I should have saved the note where my kid (who was 7 at the time) said she was going on strike.
January 9, 2026 at 4:04 AM
I should have saved the note where my kid (who was 7 at the time) said she was going on strike.
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Sometimes I open a new poetry manuscript and Adobe asks me if I’d like an “AI” summary of the document.
I wish there was a way to make it clear that I’d rather have plague-carrying squirrels gnaw off my thumbs.
I wish there was a way to make it clear that I’d rather have plague-carrying squirrels gnaw off my thumbs.
January 4, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Sometimes I open a new poetry manuscript and Adobe asks me if I’d like an “AI” summary of the document.
I wish there was a way to make it clear that I’d rather have plague-carrying squirrels gnaw off my thumbs.
I wish there was a way to make it clear that I’d rather have plague-carrying squirrels gnaw off my thumbs.
Poem about how in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Humbaba was destroyed for natural resources.
From the poem “Discover” in UNRAVEL. This is all we have known, and know.
From the poem “Discover” in UNRAVEL. This is all we have known, and know.
January 3, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Poem about how in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Humbaba was destroyed for natural resources.
From the poem “Discover” in UNRAVEL. This is all we have known, and know.
From the poem “Discover” in UNRAVEL. This is all we have known, and know.
A new year is almost upon us and I find myself googling “how to stop being pathetic.”
December 29, 2025 at 4:28 PM
A new year is almost upon us and I find myself googling “how to stop being pathetic.”
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
"Much later, she tells me she was also scared,
that she has gotten more scared with age.
This does not bode well for me."
"onwards and without delay" by Alexandra Nwigwe, new poetry out today at OKD:
that she has gotten more scared with age.
This does not bode well for me."
"onwards and without delay" by Alexandra Nwigwe, new poetry out today at OKD:
onwards and without delay by Alexandra Nwigwe
Well, I was late because I took the scenic route to work, as in I missed my stop, too busy looking up how to stop a fight, how to walk up to a monument and scale him to size, how to be the kind of …
okaydonkeymag.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
"Much later, she tells me she was also scared,
that she has gotten more scared with age.
This does not bode well for me."
"onwards and without delay" by Alexandra Nwigwe, new poetry out today at OKD:
that she has gotten more scared with age.
This does not bode well for me."
"onwards and without delay" by Alexandra Nwigwe, new poetry out today at OKD:
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
NBCC member Hollay Ghadery completed over 100 interviews for The New Books Network as of this year. You can see them all here:
New Books Network - New Books Network
NBN Episodes hosted by
Hollay:
buff.ly
December 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
NBCC member Hollay Ghadery completed over 100 interviews for The New Books Network as of this year. You can see them all here:
Microsoft Authenticator has deleted all my saved passwords. Yikes. I thought the update was just to remove autofill.
December 19, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Microsoft Authenticator has deleted all my saved passwords. Yikes. I thought the update was just to remove autofill.
I’ll have 1,000 of these, thank you.
Of course I'm restocking the Unfinished Projects Release Form (a permission slip and ritual for letting go of unfinished creative projects), but it's also part of the Project Impasse Toolkit, a limited edition set to help you figure out what to do next.
shop.weirdsideprojects.com/category/too...
shop.weirdsideprojects.com/category/too...
December 17, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I’ll have 1,000 of these, thank you.
Wait, what? 🫨
Announcing the National Book Critics Circle 2025 Longlist for Poetry
December 17, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Wait, what? 🫨
Very glad to be on this list (and in such stellar company). Thanks to CBC Books for the honour.
www.cbc.ca/books/thge-b...
Huge congrats!!@robmclennan.bsky.social @toluini.bsky.social Susan Musgrave and John Barton
Huge congrats!!@robmclennan.bsky.social @toluini.bsky.social Susan Musgrave and John Barton
The best Canadian poetry of 2025 | CBC Books
Check out our picks for the best Canadian poetry of the year!
www.cbc.ca
December 10, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Very glad to be on this list (and in such stellar company). Thanks to CBC Books for the honour.
This one made me chuckle:
"Middle-aged Torso of Apollo” by Dan Janeiro
assesofparnassus.tumblr.com/post/7671504...
"Middle-aged Torso of Apollo” by Dan Janeiro
assesofparnassus.tumblr.com/post/7671504...
assesofparnassus.tumblr.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
This one made me chuckle:
"Middle-aged Torso of Apollo” by Dan Janeiro
assesofparnassus.tumblr.com/post/7671504...
"Middle-aged Torso of Apollo” by Dan Janeiro
assesofparnassus.tumblr.com/post/7671504...
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
This is what Woke stole from us
has anyone else noticed that food tasted better in the past? it was mushy and easy to eat. and the spoon would come at you like an airplane
December 6, 2025 at 3:06 PM
This is what Woke stole from us
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
i’m setting you free. i’m releasing you from the discourse
December 2, 2025 at 1:39 AM
i’m setting you free. i’m releasing you from the discourse
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
My main income is the salary I earn as a manager in a provincial health authority. I get infrequent royalties for my books (minus ~$200 CAD total on my last statements, meaning I’ll need to pay back from future sales). Advances tend to be about $1k CAD with my current publisher, paid in 2 chunks.
I know we know this, but authors need to get better at talking about how they actually make their money. Stop pretending it's from the books.
November 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
My main income is the salary I earn as a manager in a provincial health authority. I get infrequent royalties for my books (minus ~$200 CAD total on my last statements, meaning I’ll need to pay back from future sales). Advances tend to be about $1k CAD with my current publisher, paid in 2 chunks.
The kids confidently (and correctly) use like words cyan, magenta, teal, and aqua. I’m just glad they didn’t need to learn them from me. I can barely tell hues apart.
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
The kids confidently (and correctly) use like words cyan, magenta, teal, and aqua. I’m just glad they didn’t need to learn them from me. I can barely tell hues apart.
We’re about a year out from the publication of Best Canadian Poetry 2027. The team at Biblioasis has been reading diligently for most of the year, but requests your help with finding even more Canadian writing published in 2025. Details in the image and QP.
November 24, 2025 at 4:18 PM
We’re about a year out from the publication of Best Canadian Poetry 2027. The team at Biblioasis has been reading diligently for most of the year, but requests your help with finding even more Canadian writing published in 2025. Details in the image and QP.
“The unsent nature of these letters keeps them in a quantum state of emotional possibility, preventing closure.”
Right! Links! Important things:
Here are Massimo Mitolo's two experimental poems, working with form/structure, in Strange Horizons:
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/po...
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/po...
Here are Massimo Mitolo's two experimental poems, working with form/structure, in Strange Horizons:
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/po...
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/po...
The Quantum and Temporal Properties of Unresolved Love
The Verona National Laboratory in Italy, specializing in tragic and unresolved love, was selected for all experimental work.
strangehorizons.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM
“The unsent nature of these letters keeps them in a quantum state of emotional possibility, preventing closure.”
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
People always ask me, “how do I know my manuscript is done?”
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
May 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
People always ask me, “how do I know my manuscript is done?”
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
Reposted by Tolu Oloruntoba
“Let no one be fooled by the fact that we may write in English, for we intend to do unheard of things with it.” ― Chinua Achebe.
November 20, 2025 at 8:00 PM
“Let no one be fooled by the fact that we may write in English, for we intend to do unheard of things with it.” ― Chinua Achebe.