Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars welcome two English scholars

The Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars (opens in new window)  program at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) supports Black scholarship and promotes diversity in academia by advancing Black intellectual research. This year, two English scholars, Linzey Corridon and Olajide Salawu, have been selected as recipients.

Linzey Corridon

Linzey Corridon has received a 2025 Postdoctoral Fellowship for Black Scholars. His interdisciplinary work spans Caribbean studies, Black feminist theory, queer theory, and digital humanities. A former Vanier Canada Scholar, Corridon challenges binary views of race, gender, and sexuality. His debut poetry collection, West of West Indian (external link, opens in new window)  (Mawenzi House, 2024), was named one of CBC’s best Canadian poetry collections of 2024 (external link, opens in new window)  and was a finalist for the 2025 OCM Bocas and Caricon Prizes.

Under the supervision of Hyacinth Simpson, Corridon is working on The Problem is We Are Alive. It mixes personal stories and theory to explore short, passing moments in life. The project examines both personal and collective queer Caribbean (Queeribeean) genealogies and how these moments shape identity and culture. Debates on sexual nonconformity in the Caribbean often separate between anti-queer critics and supporters of the Queeribbean community. Corridon argues that both sides limit understanding by neglecting the everyday experiences of racially diverse, sexually nonconforming individuals.

The fellowship offers access to the academic resources at the Black Scholarship Institute, the Department of English, and the Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at TMU, which will enrich his work. As he notes, “At TMU, my work will help strengthen Caribbean voices and ideas,” contributing to critical discussions about Caribbean life. His completed book is set for submission to leading academic presses in 2027.

Olajide Salawu

Olajide Salawu has been awarded a 2025 Postdoctoral Fellowship for Black Scholars. He has received several accolades, including the James Patrick Folinsbee Award, Andrew Mellon Fellowship, and Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship for his work in postcolonialism, decolonization, African migration, and the Afro-Canadian experience. His debut full-length poetry work, Contraband Bodies (external link, opens in new window) , will be released by NeWest Press in October 2025.

Supervised by Jumoke Verissimo, Salawu’s fellowship project, Subzero Life: Writing Warm Bodies in the Afro-Canadian Diaspora. The project draws from Salawu’s own experience and examines the winter challenges faced by Afro-Canadian migrants. It rethinks ideas of diaspora and home, exploring how winter shapes creative expression and how poetry helps navigate the harsh realities of winter and migration. 

Salawu is especially focused on the Black diaspora in Canada and aims to investigate how seasonal experiences and the underlying ideas that influence them reshape the understanding of diaspora for migrants. The fellowship, in partnership with the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (opens in new window) , provides the resources, network, and mentorship needed for the project.

“This research has two phases: the critical and the creative. Ultimately, I plan to produce a monograph and a poetry anthology from this project. I aim to publish the monograph with a university press and the poetry anthology with a reputable publisher,” says Salawu. The research will be completed by Fall 2027, with findings to be shared in Salawu’s weekly newsletter at Flaming Hydra.