SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a Nigerian-born novelist, photographer, and travel storyteller based in Stockholm, Sweden. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages and focuses on culture, tradition, and lifestyle.
Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, she moved to the United States at the age of fifteen, where she earned a Master of Science (MSc) in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, later specialising in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In 2006, she relocated to Sweden with her husband.
Akinmade began her career as a field journalist and GIS developer before turning to professional photography, travel writing, and fiction. She is best known for her novels In Every Mirror She's Black (2021) and Everything is Not Enough (2023). Her photography is part of the National Geographic Image Collection, and her work has been featured in outlets such as the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Lonely Planet. Akinmade also runs the Geotraveler Media Academy, teaches travel writing, and serves as editor-in-chief of Slow Travel Stockholm.
Personal website
Selected honours and awards
- 2024 — NAACP Image Awards Nomination, Outstanding Literary Work, for Everything Is Not Enough
- 2022 — Hasselblad Heroine, Recognition for outstanding women photographers
- 2018 — Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), Media & Culture
- 2018 — Bill Muster Travel Photographer of the Year, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Åkerström Akinmade, Lola. Bitter Honey. William Morrow, 2025.
—. Due North: A Collection of Travel Observations, Reflections, and Snapshots Across Colours, Cultures and Continents. Geotraveler Media Sweden, 2017.
—. Everything Is Not Enough. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2023.
—. In Every Mirror She’s Black. William Morrow, 2021.
—. Johan. Geotraveler Media, 2025.
—. Lagom: The Swedish Secret of Living Well. Headline Home, 2017.
