[1] In April 2014 he was named in the Hay Festival's Africa39 project as one of the 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with the potential and the talent to define the trends of the region.

He studied for a year and a half as an exchange student, first at Bates College in Maine, then at the University of Cape Town in South Africa,[6] before returning to the US and graduating from Morehouse in 2004, with a B.A.

[5] In 2013 Folarin became the first writer based outside Africa to win the Caine Prize, which he won for his short story "Miracle."

"[9]In April 2014 he was named on the Hay Festival's Africa39 list of writers aged under 40 with the potential and talent to define trends in African literature.

[15] In 2021, he was named as Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C., where he previously served as Board Chair.