[2] Shoneyin has forged a reputation as an adventurous, humorous and outspoken poet (often classed in the feminist mould), having published three volumes of poetry.

[10] Titilola Atinuke Alexandrah Shoneyin was born in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, south-western Nigeria, in 1974.

Shoneyin’s work is significantly influenced by her life, notably providing material on polygamy for her debut novel; her maternal grandfather, Abraham Olayinka Okupe (1896-1976) was the traditional ruler of Iperu Remo and had five wives.

[14] Shoneyin attended the renowned International Writing Program in Iowa, USA, in August 1999 and was also in that year a Distinguished Scholar at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).

Her second novel, Harlot, received some interest, but the story of a young girl growing up in colonial Nigeria to make a fortune as a "Madame" remains unpublished.

[19] Shoneyin has also written for newspapers, including The Scotsman,[12] The Guardian,[11] and The Times on issues such as racism, Nigeria's tradition of polygamous marriage,[11] the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram and the elections of now former President Muhammadu Buhari.

She is the founder and Director of Book Buzz Foundation, a non-governmental organization established in 2012 for the promotion of arts and culture within local and global spaces.