Leila Mottley
Leila Mottley | |
---|---|
Born | 2002 (age 21–22) Oakland, California, U.S. |
Notable works | Nightcrawling |
Leila Mottley (born 2002) is an American novelist and poet.[1] She is The New York Times bestselling[citation needed] author of Nightcrawling, which was a nominated for numerous awards, including the Booker Prize,[2][3] making her the youngest author to have been nominated for the award.[4] In 2018, at age 16, she was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California.[5]
Early life
Mottley was born and raised in Oakland, California, where she continues to reside.[6] She began attending Smith College in 2019 and is currently on indefinite leave to pursue writing.[7]
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.[5] Her poetry has appeared in The New York Times.[8]
Mottley co-wrote and starred in a documentary short, When I Write It, an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020.[9]
In June 2022, Mottley published her first novel, Nightcrawling,[10] which she began writing at age 16.[4] 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.[11][12][13][14]
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.[5][15]
Her debut novel, Nightcrawling, was an Oprah's Book Club pick in June 2022,[16] and AudioFile included it on their list of the best audiobooks of 2022.[17]
In 2023 she received a PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award for Nightcrawling.
Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Nightcrawling | Booker Prize | Longlist | [2][4] |
Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults | Selection | [18] | ||
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction | Nominee | [19] | ||
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut Novel | Nominee | [19] | ||
2023 | Audie Award for Best Female Narrator | Finalist | [20] | |
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction | Finalist | [21] |
Selected publications
- Nightcrawling (2022)
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Leila Mottley interview: 'There's never a wrong age to tell the story that is aching inside of you' | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ a b c "Awards: Booker Longlist". Shelf Awareness. 2022-07-27. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ a b c "Leila Mottley '23: Finding Her Voice Through Poetry". Post News Group. Oakland Post. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Five Things to Know About Leila Mottley". Oprah Daily. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "'I have a lot of time': Oakland poet-novelist phenom Leila Mottley, 19, has just begun". Los Angeles Times. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ "Young Black Poets". New York Times. 9 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "2020 Official Selection: Shorts". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Oprah's latest book club pick: 'Nightcrawling,' by Leila Mottley". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Armitstead, Claire; @carmitstead (2022-06-05). "Teenager Leila Mottley on writing her debut novel: 'I've always done things at a warp speed'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Young Oakland author Leila Mottley makes a splash with debut novel 'Nightcrawling'". KRON4. 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Leila Mottley's Novel Explores What Justice Means for Black Girls". Teen Vogue. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "'I have a lot of time': Oakland poet-novelist phenom Leila Mottley, 19, has just begun". Los Angeles Times. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Oprah's Book Club Pick: Nightcrawling". Shelf Awareness. 2022-06-08. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults, 2022". Booklist. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ a b "Nightcrawling". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ "2023 Audie Award Winners". Audio Publishers Association. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ "2023 Lambda Award Shortlist Finalists Announced". BOOK RIOT. 2023-03-15. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-05-06.