Bio: Olúyẹ́misí Adébọ̀wálé is Professor of Yorùbá Literature in the Faculty of Arts, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Nigeria. She is the first female Professor in the university. Adébọ̀wálé joined the services of the then Ondo State University (now Adekunle Ajasin University) as Assistant Lecturer in 1985 and rose through the ranks to the position of Professor in 2005. She had a B.Ed. (Hons) Yorùbá/History and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Yorùbá from the prestigious University of Ibadan in 1981, 1984, 1994, respectively. A poet, playwright, and critic, Adébọ̀wálé is currently the director of the Teaching and Leadership Centre, AAUA.

Adébọ̀wálé has served in various leadership positions in AAUA, most of which were in pioneer status, including two-time Head of Department of Linguistics and Languages (1999-2003 and 2006-2008), Chairman, Ceremonies Committee (2008 -2011), Ag. Dean, Postgraduate School (July –August 2009), Member, Adekunle Ajasin University Governing Council (2011 – 2014), Dean of Students (2012-2014), Dean of Arts (2014-2015), and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic (2014-2016). She is the editor of Inquiry in African Languages & Literatures (January 2016 to date) and Àkùngbá Journal of Linguistics & Literatures (January 2017 to date).

Adébọ̀wálé was a visiting professor at the Ekiti State University in 2010, where she served as the Head of Department, and taught courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her areas of research focus are Yorùbá Literature, Stylistics, Culture and Gender Studies. Adébọ̀wálé has 63 scholarly publications consisting of books, chapters in books, edited book, and articles in local and international journals. She is a member of Yorùbá Studies Association of Nigeria, Yorùbá Teachers Association of Nigeria, Yorùbá Vehicular Cross-Border Language Commission, and the Nigerian Academy of Letters. Adébọ̀wálé was the immediate past president of the Yorùbá Studies Association of Nigeria. She has recently served as a consultant to the USAID Northern Education Initiative in the Yorùbá TLM Development for P1- P3, and she participated in the writing of the Jẹ́ Ká Kàwé (Let’s Read) series. Adébọ̀wálé is the author of the following Yorùbá creative work: O Ṣèyí Tán, Ìgbà Lonígbàá Kà, Ewì Àtàtà. Her other publications include children’s literary texts like Why Cat Eats Rat, The Unintelligent Bird, and numerous Yorùbá pedagogical books.