“Olukotun is a major new talent in American letters.” –Smoke Signals Mag
DEJI OLUKOTUN graduated from the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Cape Town, where he was taught by South African writers André Brink, Mike Nicol, Andre Wiesner, and Henrietta Rose-Innes.
He is currently the Freedom to Write Fellow at the PEN American Center.
What about the name of this website? Deji was raised on Star Wars. At the age of 11, his brother told him that his name could be rewritten to spell Jedi, thus making him the happiest kid in the continental U.S. He now re-watches the three original Star Wars movies every year. He sometimes makes exception to watch the three ‘prequel’ films but only if he is in a very generous mood and there are no precious objects within reach.
Darth criticizes Deji's love of the Oxford Comma.
His work has been published in Guernica, Joyland, Words Without Borders, World Literature Today, Molussus, ESPN Soccernet, The London Magazine, Grovel, The Space, Dialogue, Men’s Health, Triplopia, Litnet, OneShotZine, and international law journals. His story “Home Affairs”, about a father and son trying to secure refugee permits in South Africa, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2010.
When not writing, Deji is an attorney with a background in international development and technology. His work has taken him to South Africa, Brazil, and France. He is also a passionate soccer fan. His time is divided between Brooklyn and the small farm where he grew up in New Jersey.
Deji writes because he has to.
Contact him at olukotun@gmail.com.
