The Junta of Happenstance

2021, Anstruther Books | Palimpsest Press

Winner, 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry in English

Winner, 2022 Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize

Tolu Oloruntoba’s voice in The Junta of Happenstance is at once thoughtful and authoritative, metaphorically rich and lyrically surprising. Oloruntoba’s language travels through history and myth to speak to today and engage with a future transformed by new understanding. The combination of craft and spirit cuts a fine place for this debut work, expanding our literary view.
— Peer assessment committee, 2021 Governor General's Literary Awards: Kaie Kellough, George Murray and Anna Marie Sewell