Candice Iloh author page

Candice Iloh biography

Candice Iloh is a Nigerian American writer and educator whose work includes young adult novels, poetry, performance, and picture books. They have taught creative writing to young people from pre-K through high school and are a former high school creative writing teacher. Iloh has received fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, Kimbilio Fiction, and the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and is an alum of the Rhode Island Writers Colony. Their 2018 Hi-ARTS residency included the development and performance of ADA: On Stage, a one-person production connected with ideas that later appeared in their first novel.

Iloh’s debut YA novel, Every Body Looking, was published by Dutton Books for Young Readers in 2020. Written in verse, it follows Ada as she leaves home to begin her freshman year at a historically Black college, where she starts making choices about her education, dance, and future while confronting experiences from her childhood. The novel was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and received a 2021 Michael L. Printz Honor from the American Library Association.

Their second novel, Break This House, was published by Dutton Books for Young Readers in 2022 and follows a teenager returning to her mother’s hometown after a death in the family. Iloh returned to verse for Salt the Water, published by Dutton in 2023. The novel centers on Cerulean, a teenager whose plans for life after school are disrupted by conflict at school and a family emergency. Salt the Water received a 2024 Michael L. Printz Honor, making Iloh a two-time Printz Honoree.

Iloh’s first picture book, Emeka, Eat Egusi!, illustrated by Bea Jackson, was published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers in March 2026. It follows Emeka as helping his mother prepare egusi gives him an opportunity to experience a food outside his familiar routine.