Tomi Adeyemi

EARLY LIFE

Tomi Adeyemi was born on August 1, 1993, in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents. She grew up in Chicago but was not initially exposed to her Nigerian heritage or Yoruba ethnicity. She later embraced her culture and described one of her novels as a love letter to her heritage. Adeyemi began writing at age five and continued throughout her teenage years, graduating from Hinsdale Central High School in 2011. She earned an honors degree in English Literature from Harvard University and studied West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil, an experience that inspired her breakthrough novel.

CAREER

After moving to California, Tomi Adeyemi worked at a Los Angeles film production company before dedicating herself to writing. Her debut novel, 'Children of Blood and Bone,' was released in March 2018 and became a #1 New York Times Young Adult Hardcover Bestseller. The novel, a young-adult fantasy set in West Africa, aimed to provide representation for Black girls in fantasy literature. The book won the 2018 Andre Norton Award and the 2019 Waterstones Book Prize and Hugo Lodestar Award. Film adaptation rights were initially acquired by Fox 2000 Pictures, then by Disney, and eventually by Paramount Pictures in 2022, with Adeyemi serving as scriptwriter and executive producer. Her second novel, 'Children of Virtue and Vengeance,' also became a #1 New York Times Bestseller in 2019, and the final installment, 'Children of Anguish and Anarchy,' was released in June 2024, also debuting at #1. Beyond her novels, Adeyemi works as a creative writing coach through her online course, The Writer's Roadmap, and has contributed to animated series.

PERSONAL LIFE

Tomi Adeyemi resides in New York City, New York. She is of Yoruba heritage and has two siblings. Her mother manages hospices, her father is a doctor, and her brother is a musician.