Warren Wilson College proudly celebrates Samuel Kọ́láwọlé, a member of the Fiction Faculty in the MFA Program for Writers, as a recipient of a 2025 Whiting Award. The award, one of the most prestigious honors for emerging writers in the United States, recognizes excellence and promise across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Kọ́láwọlé is one of only ten writers nationwide to receive the $50,000 prize this year.

Kọ́láwọlé was honored for his debut novel, The Road to the Salt Sea, praised by the Whiting judges as “populated by unforgettable characters whom he presents with unthinkable choices.” They noted his ability to meld “gripping narrative with indelible testimony” in his portrait of immigrants navigating uncertain futures.

Born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria, Kọ́láwọlé’s work has appeared in AGNI, New England Review, The Georgia Review, and Harvard Review, among other literary journals. He teaches fiction at Penn State University and Warren Wilson College’s MFA program .

This award marks the 40th anniversary of the Whiting Awards, which have supported emerging literary talent since 1985. Past winners include luminaries such as Ocean Vuong, Colson Whitehead, and Tracy K. Smith.

Warren Wilson College congratulates Samuel Kọ́láwọlé on this extraordinary achievement.