Brittle Paper’s Writer of the Month for June is Tolulope Popoola!

Tolulope Popoola is a brilliant writer, publisher, writing coach, and award winner, but you may know her as the African Flash Fiction Queen!

Tolulope has long been a lover of all things literary, and after a career in accounting, she returned to fully embrace her passion for writing. In 2011, Tolulope founded Accomplish Press, a brilliant publishing platform where she not only publishes works but also provides writing workshops and coaching. Only a year later, Tolulope was the runner-up for the Women in Publishing New Venture Award and, in 2016, was presented with the Award for Excellence by the Nigerian Writers Awards!

Now with five new collections in The Lagos Flash Fiction Series, Tolulope is giving the Brittle Paper community weekly Saturday instalments of each of the new collections, and she so wonderfully agreed to sit down for a chat with us! So, let’s see what we spoke about:

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Brittle Paper

Tolulope, the African Flash Fiction Queen, congratulations on being our June Writer of the Month! May has been extra wonderful because we got to share some stories from your new flash fiction series, which we will get to in a bit. But first, we need to start from the beginning so, tell us about who Tolulope Popoola is and how she became a writer?

Tolulope Popoola

Thank you so much! I’m thrilled to be Brittle Paper Writer of the Month, such a joy and privilege. So, who am I? I’m a Nigerian writer, publisher, and creative writing coach currently based in the UK. I write mostly contemporary fiction, and I’m fascinated with exploring the chaos, beauty, and contradictions of modern life of Nigerians, whether they are based in London or in Lagos.

As for how I became a writer, I’ve always loved stories. I remember writing my first stories when I was about six years old. I was that child who had her nose in a book at the dining table, who poured her thoughts into diaries and journals, spent hours inventing characters and writing dramatic episodes in old notebooks. I even used to draw and illustrate my characters too. But I didn’t think writing could be a real career, so I followed a more “sensible” path. I studied Economics and Accounting, started working towards becoming a Chartered Accountant, and worked in a regular accounting job.

But the itch to write wouldn’t go away. I started blogging and writing short fiction in 2006. I realised I enjoyed it so much, I started a fiction blog series with a group of seven other writers, which was really fun. Eventually I realised that writing was what I wanted to do with my life (and not Accounting!). So, in 2010, I took the big leap, I quit my job to write full-time. Scary? Absolutely. But it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Brittle Paper

I love that! I was the kid that took a book everywhere I went, and would ask for books as birthday gifts, so I love that your love for books and reading started so young!

In keeping with WotM tradition, I have three questions to help us get to know your literary personality a bit more. First up, what is the earliest book you remember reading and absolutely loving?

Tolulope Popoola

That’s a hard one! As a child, I devoured so many books, ranging from the Enid Blyton books, to books written by African authors like Mabel Segun. But I remember reading The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton over and over again. I was completely enchanted by the idea of different magical lands at the top of a tree! I also read the Malory Towers and St Claires and Sweet Valley High series as well, so I think the drama bug bit me early.

Brittle Paper

The Magic Faraway Tree was my absolute favourite growing up! I loved the illustrations in Enid Blyton books.

Is there a book you have read that you feel has been too over hyped, and is there one you feel people have not given enough love?

Tolulope Popoola

I tend to give overhyped books a wide berth unless they come highly recommended by someone I trust. I tried to read Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, but I just couldn’t finish it.  As for underrated gems, I think Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta doesn’t get enough attention. It’s such a beautifully written, introspective novel that explores so much about womanhood in Nigeria. Also, I think flash fiction in general deserves more love, it’s not “just a short story,” it’s a whole art form

Brittle Paper

Last of the three, if you could have a dinner party with your favourite artists, who would they be?

Tolulope Popoola

Interesting question. I’d invite Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and we’d talk books, feminism, and storytelling. Then the singer, Asa because she’s such a beautiful storyteller through her music. Nengi Omuku for her portraits which are just mind-blowing. Kehinde Bankole because she’s an amazing actress, and Kizz Daniel because I just love many of his songs

Brittle Paper

Every time I ask that final question, I always get the most interesting responses!

So, Tolulope, I know you probably get asked this all the time and, we all know it is well deserved because you are brilliant at crafting these stories but, how does it feel to be known as the African Flash Fiction Queen?

Tolulope Popoola

I’ll be honest, it makes me smile! But also, I wear the crown proudly. I love flash fiction – it’s fast, dramatic, emotionally punchy, and it suits my storytelling style perfectly. So, if writing short, sharp stories with a twist earns me a little royal nickname, I’ll take it.

Brittle Paper

We all believe that the title is well deserved, but we are also a little jealous because it is such a great nickname!

After taking a little break, you came back in full swing with five whole new collections! From a talented best man, an ambitious baker, a patient taxi driver, an overworked banker, and an organised wedding planner, these collections are some of the most entertaining reads. This might be cruel, like asking a parent who their favourite child is, but is there a collection that you love a bit more than the others?

Tolulope Popoola

Ah! You really are asking me to pick a favourite child. I love them all, but Memoirs of a Lagos Baker is my favourite, followed by Memoirs of a Lagos Junior Banker. Dayo and Onome are ambitious, honest, hardworking young women and just seem to be very lovable personalities.

Brittle Paper

You write across such different characters and situations — how do you come up with your story ideas?

Tolulope Popoola

Eavesdropping and observing! Lagos is a storyteller’s goldmine. There’s always drama happening at banks, in traffic, at weddings, even in WhatsApp groups. Sometimes it’s a line I overhear, sometimes it’s a “what if” scenario that won’t leave me alone. I keep a long list of ideas on my phone, and whenever I sit down to write, I pick one that sparks something.

Also, my characters often walk into my head fully formed. Once I know who they are and what they’re dealing with, the story unfolds from there.

Brittle Paper

I absolutely love short stories, and it is probably my favourite form of literature. I get to read so many short stories when I review submissions that, when I have free time, it is difficult to switch back to opening a novel. But that’s just as a reader, so I am curious about how you feel about being both a flash fiction writer and a novelist. How do you find the writing process of the two, and is there one you enjoy more than the other?

Tolulope Popoola

I love both, but they serve different parts of my creative brain. Writing novels is immersive and marathon-like. It takes stamina, structure, long-term commitment. Flash fiction, on the other hand, is more like a sprint. You get a quick idea, tell the story with impact, and get out.

Right now, flash fiction gives me more creative satisfaction because I can explore more characters, more scenarios, and share them more frequently. But my novel-writing brain is never completely switched off, there’s a sequel to Nothing Comes Close quietly brewing at the moment, which I plan to start working on later in the year.

Brittle Paper

A sequel is in the works? You really are spoiling us this year!

You have built such an impressive collection of works, but you have also built an incredibly wonderful platform, Accomplish Press. What I love the most about Accomplish Press, besides the overall great work that you do, is that you also cater to the really young writing community. You run a virtual Creative Writing Club for 9–15-year-olds which sounds like a very wholesome and safe space for kids to nurture their craft. How do you find working with such young writers?

Tolulope Popoola

I love it! Honestly, it’s one of the highlights of my week. Young writers have such brilliant, wild, unfiltered imaginations. They’re not bogged down by rules or “shoulds,” so they come up with the most surprising ideas. I love helping my students build confidence and realise that their voice and words have value. It’s incredibly fulfilling, and it’s something I wish I had when I was a child.

Brittle Paper

As someone who grew up wanting to write stories and loving every type of literature I could get my hands on, I wish I had that growing up too! It’s beautiful and so wholesome that you’re helping the younger generation get that support now.

I often get emails from writers who have not had their work accepted, and it is a question that comes up quite often when in conversation with creatives, which is, how does one handle rejection? As a founder of a publishing press, an editor, and a writer, what advice would you give to aspiring writers about handling rejection?

Tolulope Popoola

Rejection is part of the process. It doesn’t mean your writing is bad or that you’re not talented. It just means that particular piece wasn’t the right fit for that publication, at that time. Keep going. Keep improving. Keep showing up. The right opportunity will meet your preparation eventually. And if you’re feeling stuck, submit elsewhere or start your own platform. That’s literally how Accomplish Press was born.

Brittle Paper

That’s really good advice, and I know writers sometimes get frustrated with being told that they need to keep going, but as exhausting as the process is, it really is just about putting your work out there. You could send a poem or a story to multiple places, and every place could reject it besides one, and that does not mean your work is not worthy of receiving multiple acceptances, but rather that the one acceptance it got was from the home it was meant to be in.

You’ve mentioned that Accomplish Press was born from a need to create space for overlooked stories. Can you tell us more about your publishing journey and how you built your platform from the ground up?

Tolulope Popoola

After I wrote Nothing Comes Close in 2012, I realised that traditional publishers in the UK weren’t quite sure what to do with a romantic, contemporary African novel that didn’t fit the typical “poverty porn” or “historical trauma” or “war and conflict” narratives. So, I thought, why not create the kind of publishing space I wish existed?

That’s how Accomplish Press began, with a mission to champion “ethnic fiction” that’s rich, modern, and relatable. I started small with just my book, then stories from others, then workshops, then the Creative Writing Club. Over time, it’s grown into a community for writers who want to tell their stories on their own terms. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been rewarding beyond words.

Brittle Paper

Having grown up in South Africa, I struggled with traditional publishing houses because of the lack of development in managing and publishing African literature. So, spaces like yours, that carved out space for a community that needs its stories to be told, is such an inspiring thing to see!

Before we go, apart from your writing, Tolulope, what is one thing about yourself that you want to share with our readers?

Tolulope Popoola

I love listening to music and singing along – Afrobeats, old-school jams, you name it. I also love having plants and flowers around me and going on long walks with a podcast in my ears. Oh, and I drink an alarming amount of green tea.

Brittle Paper

Tolulope, thank you for this lovely interview, and for the giving our readers a taste of these new collections!

 

 

For more of the Lagos Flash Fiction Series, tune in next Saturday, and for more interviews with our writers, check out March’s with Riley Herbert-Henry here.