Omotara James is the author of the poetry collection, Song of My Softening, (Alice James Books, 2024). Her chapbook, Daughter Tongue, was selected by African Poetry Book Fund, (Akashic Books, 2018), for the New Generation African Poets Box Set. James’ poems appear in print and digital journals, including the Poetry Foundation, The Nation, BOMB Magazine, the Paris Review, American Poetry Review, the Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly, the Believer, Literary Hub, Guernica, Poetry Society of America and elsewhere. Her poetry has been featured in the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day series. She has performed on various stages including The 92NY, The Brooklyn Books Festival, The New York City Poetry Festival and The Poetry Project. Her work has been anthologised and selected for inclusion in various publications. James is the recipient of the 2023 J. Howard and Barbara M. J. Wood Prize from the Poetry Foundation. She has received residency fellowships from Cave Canem Foundation and Lambda Literary, among other awards and recognitions. Born in Britain, she is the daughter of Nigerian and Trinidadian immigrants. She has lived in England, Scotland and was raised primarily in America. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Hofstra University and an MFA in Poetry from New York University.