Candice Iloh is a queer, first-generation Nigerian-American writer, poet, educator and dancer. Their debut novel, ''

Every Body Looking ''Every Body Looking'' is a young adult Verse novel, novel in verse by Candice Iloh, published September 22, 2020 by Dutton Children's Books, Dutton Books for Young Readers. Reception ''Every Body Looking'' was well-received by critics, inclu ...

'', was a finalist for the

National Book Award for Young People's Literature The National Book Award for Young People's Literature is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation (NBF) to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers".< ...

and

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...

honor book.

Personal life

Iloh graduated from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

, where they studied public relations. In 2017, they received a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

from

Lesley University Lesley University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. As of 2018-19 Lesley University enrolled 6,593 students (2,707 undergraduate and 3,886 graduate). History ...

, where they studied Writing for Young People and Poetry. They completed residencies at VONA, The Home School via

Lambda Literary The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBT literature, LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, prese ...

, and the Rhode Island Writer’s Colony. Iloh's mother, Debrah, struggled with addiction throughout Iloh's life. She ultimately died of stomach cancer in 2018. Iloh uses they/them pronouns. They presently live in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Career

At a poet, Iloh has performed nationally, including the

Nuyorican Poets Café The Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe is a nonprofit organization in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and the

National Museum of African Art The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian Institution's African art museum, located on the National Mall of the United States capital. Its collections include 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African art from both Sub-S ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

They have also advanced to the final rounds in the following competitions: Graffiti DC Slam, Beltway Poetry Slam, and 11th Hour Poetry Slam. Iloh's poetry has been published by ''Blackberry Magazine'', ''

Blavity Blavity is an American Internet media company and website based in Los Angeles, created by and for black millennials. Their mission is to "economically and creatively support Black millennials across the African scape, so they can pursue the work ...

'', ''Fjords Review'', ''For Harriet,'' ''

TheGrio TheGrio, styled as thegrio, is an American television network and website with news, opinion, entertainment and video content geared toward Black Americans. The website originally launched in June 2009 as a division of NBC News, it became a d ...

,'' ''Insight Magazine'', and the

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

. Iloh created a one-person show, ''Ada: On Stage,'' which debuted in 2018 at Hi-ARTS. Iloh served as the Managing Editor of ''Quiet Lunch Magazine.'' They have also worked as an educator and coach with Voices UnBroken,

Split This Rock {{Short description, American national nonprofit organization of poets, artists, and activists Split This Rock is a national nonprofit organization of poets, artists, and activists based in Washington, D.C. The organization's stated goals are: To ...

, and the

American Poetry Museum The American Poetry Museum (APM) is a museum dedicated to American poetry American poetry refers to the poetry of the United States. It arose first as efforts by American colonists to add their voices to English poetry in the 17th century, wel ...

. Through their work, Iloh has mentored young people in public school classrooms, athletic programs, detention centers, and youth shelters.

Awards and honors

In 2013, Iloh received a fellowship from Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation to work with

Ruth Forman Ruth Forman is an American poet. Her content focuses on spirituality, love, challenge, and grace. She currently travels around the United States performing readings from her recent publication; Prayers Like Shoes, and her children's book; Young C ...

. In 2016, they received the

Home School Fellowship, during which they studied under

Cathy Park Hong Cathy Park Hong (born August 7, 1976) is an American poet, writer, and professor who has published three volumes of poetry. Much of her work includes mixed language and serialized narrative. She was named on the 2021 Time 100 list for her writing ...

. They were also attended the Rhode Island Writers Colony under the Artistic Direction of

Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audience. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap and had an ea ...

. Later, they were a Writer-in-Residence at the Bronx Academy of Letters.

Publications

Iloh's poetry has been published by ''Blackberry Magazine'', ''

'', ''Fjords Review'', ''For Harriet,'' ''

,'' ''Insight Magazine'', and the

Books

* ''Break Fast From Her Skin'' (2014) * In ''The Breakbeats Poets, Volume 2: Black Girl Magic Anthology'' (2018) * ''

'' (2020) * ''Break This House'' (2022) * ''Salt the Water'' (2023)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iloh, Candice Howard University alumni Lesley University alumni Non-binary writers LGBT African Americans American people of Nigerian descent LGBT poets LGBT people from Pennsylvania