Leila Mottley

Leila Mottley (born 2002) is an American novelist and poet.[1] She is The New York Times bestselling author of Nightcrawling, which was a nominated for numerous awards, including the Booker Prize,[2] making her the youngest author to have been nominated for the award.[3] In 2018, at age 16, she was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland.[4]

Leila Mottley
Born2002 (age 20–21)
Oakland, California
Notable worksNightcrawling

Early life

Mottley was born and raised in Oakland, California, where she continues to reside.[5] She dropped out of Smith College.

Career

Mottley was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California in 2018 at age 16, having served the prior year as Vice Youth Poet Laureate.[4] Her poetry has appeared in The New York Times.[6]

Mottley co-wrote and starred in a documentary short, When I Write It, an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020.[7]

In June 2022, Mottley published her first novel, Nightcrawling,[8] which she began writing at age 16.[3] She wrote the original version during the summer of 2019, shortly after completing her high school education. At the time, she was employed as a substitute preschool teacher.[9]

Awards and honors

In 2018, at the age of 16, Mottley was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California, having served the prior year as Vice Youth Poet Laureate.[4]

Her debut novel, Nightcrawling, was an Oprah's Book Club pick in June 2022,[10] and AudioFile included it on their list of the best audiobooks of 2022.[11]

Awards for Mottley's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2022 Nightcrawling Booker Prize Longlist [2][3]
Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults Selection [12]
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction Nominee [13]
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut Novel Nominee [13]
2023 Audie Award for Best Female Narrator Finalist [14]
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction Finalist [15]

Selected publications

References
  1. Pineda, Dorany (7 June 2022). "'I have a lot of time': Oakland poet-novelist phenom Leila Mottley, 19, has just begun". LA Times. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  2. Nawotka, Ed (2022-07-26). "Six Americans Make the Booker Prize Longlist". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  3. "Awards: Booker Longlist". Shelf Awareness. 2022-07-27. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  4. "Leila Mottley '23: Finding Her Voice Through Poetry". Post News Group. Oakland Post. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  5. "Five Things to Know About Leila Mottley". Oprah Daily. Oprah Daily. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  6. "Young Black Poets". New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  7. "2020 Official Selection: Shorts". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  8. "Oprah's latest book club pick: 'Nightcrawling,' by Leila Mottley". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  9. Egan, Elisabeth (30 June 2022). "Leila Mottley Graduated From High School and Wrote a Novel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  10. "Oprah's Book Club Pick: Nightcrawling". Shelf Awareness. 2022-06-08. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  11. Milliot, Jim (2022-12-01). "'AudioFile' Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2022". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  12. "Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults, 2022". Booklist. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  13. "Nightcrawling". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  14. "2023 Audie Award Winners". Audio Publishers Association. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  15. "2023 Lambda Award Shortlist Finalists Announced". BOOK RIOT. 2023-03-15. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
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