Leila Mottley Explained

Birth Place:Oakland, California, U.S.
Alma Mater:Smith College
Notable Works:Nightcrawling

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, making her the youngest author to have been nominated for the award. In 2018, at age 16, she was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California.

Early life

Mottley was born and raised in Oakland, California,[2] where she continues to reside.[3] She began attending Smith College in 2019 and is currently on indefinite leave to pursue writing.[4]

Career

Mottley was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland,[2] 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.[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.[9] 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.[10] [11] [12] [13]

In 2024, Leila Mottley published her first poetry collection woke up no light. [14]

Awards and honors

In 2018, at the age of 16, Mottley was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California,[2] having served the prior year as Vice Youth Poet Laureate.[15]

Her debut novel, Nightcrawling, was a New York Times Best Seller[16] and an Oprah's Book Club pick in June 2022.[17] AudioFile included it on their list of the best audiobooks of 2022.[18]

Awards for Mottley's writing!Year!Title!Award!Result!Ref.
2022NightcrawlingBooker PrizeLonglist[19] [20]
Booklist Editors' Choice

Adult Books for Young Adults

Selection[21]
Goodreads Choice Award for Best FictionNominee[22]
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut NovelNominee
2023Audie Award for Best Female NarratorFinalist[23]
Hurston/Wright Legacy AwardNominee[24]
Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian FictionFinalist[25]
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary AwardWinner

Selected publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Pineda . Dorany . 7 June 2022 . 'I have a lot of time': Oakland poet-novelist phenom Leila Mottley, 19, has just begun . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726214633/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-06-07/leila-mottley-author-of-nightcrawling . 26 July 2022 . 27 July 2022 . LA Times.
  2. News: June 6, 2022 . Brandon Yu . Oakland's Leila Mottley making major splash with searing debut novel 'Nightcrawling' . 2024-01-16 . San Francisco Chronicle . en-US . 2023-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230321080348/https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/oakland-teen-leila-mottley-making-major-splash-with-searing-debut-novel-nightcrawling . live .
  3. Web site: Five Things to Know About Leila Mottley . Oprah Daily . 11 June 2022 . 27 July 2022 . 7 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220707225713/https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a40206729/five-things-to-know-about-leila-mottley/ . live .
  4. Web site: 2022-06-07 . 'I have a lot of time': Oakland poet-novelist phenom Leila Mottley, 19, has just begun . 2023-06-13 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . 2022-07-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726214633/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-06-07/leila-mottley-author-of-nightcrawling . live .
  5. Web site: Leila Mottley '23: Finding Her Voice Through Poetry . Post News Group . 8 June 2018 . Oakland Post . 5 September 2022 . 5 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905153328/https://www.postnewsgroup.com/leila-mottley-named-2018-oakland-youth-poet-laureate/ . live .
  6. News: Young Black Poets . New York Times . 9 October 2020 . 5 September 2022 . 27 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927141926/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/09/arts/young-black-poets.html . live .
  7. Web site: 2020 Official Selection: Shorts . Tribeca Film Festival . 5 September 2022 . 5 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905153329/https://tribecafilm.com/films/when-i-write-it-2021 . live .
  8. News: Oprah's latest book club pick: 'Nightcrawling,' by Leila Mottley . 5 September 2022 . Washington Post.
  9. Web site: 2022-07-27 . Awards: Booker Longlist . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807230502/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4283 . 2022-08-07 . 2023-05-06 . Shelf Awareness.
  10. Web site: Egan . Elisabeth . Leila Mottley Graduated From High School and Wrote a Novel . . 30 June 2022 . 4 April 2023 . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404191754/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/books/review/nightcrawling-leila-mottley.html . live .
  11. News: Armitstead . Claire . @carmitstead . 2022-06-05 . Teenager Leila Mottley on writing her debut novel: 'I've always done things at a warp speed' . en-GB . The Observer . 2023-08-15 . 0029-7712 . 2023-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815184121/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/05/debut-novelist-leila-mottley-nightcrawling-interview . live .
  12. Web site: 2022-09-02 . Young Oakland author Leila Mottley makes a splash with debut novel 'Nightcrawling' . 2023-08-15 . KRON4 . en-US . 2023-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815184405/https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/young-oakland-author-leila-mottley-makes-a-splash-with-debut-novel-nightcrawling/ . live .
  13. Web site: 2022-06-07 . Leila Mottley's Novel Explores What Justice Means for Black Girls . 2023-08-15 . Teen Vogue . en-US . 2023-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815184721/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/author-leila-mottley-on-nightcrawling-justice-and-being-average . live .
  14. Web site: woke up no light . Leila Mottley Official .
  15. Web site: 2022-06-07 . 'I have a lot of time': Oakland poet-novelist phenom Leila Mottley, 19, has just begun . 2023-08-15 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . 2022-07-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726214633/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-06-07/leila-mottley-author-of-nightcrawling . live .
  16. Web site: 2022-06-30 . Leila Mottley Graduated From High School and Wrote a Novel . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630091116/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/books/review/nightcrawling-leila-mottley.html . 2022-06-30 . 2024-01-16 . The New York Times.
  17. Web site: 2022-06-08 . Oprah's Book Club Pick: Nightcrawling . 2023-05-05 . . 2022-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220717010338/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4249 . live .
  18. Web site: Milliot . Jim . 2022-12-01 . 'AudioFile' Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2022 . 2023-05-05 . . en . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320194651/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/audio-books/article/91023-audiofile-magazine-s-best-audiobooks-of-2022.html . live .
  19. Web site: Leila Mottley interview: 'There's never a wrong age to tell the story that is aching inside of you' . 2023-08-15 . . en . 2023-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815184549/https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/leila-mottley-interview-theres-never-a-wrong-age-to-tell-the-story-that . live .
  20. Web site: Nawotka . Ed . 2022-07-26 . Six Americans Make the Booker Prize Longlist . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220808134917/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/89944-six-americans-make-the-booker-prize-longlist.html . 2022-08-08 . 2023-05-05 . . en.
  21. Web site: 2022-12-01 . Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults, 2022 . 2023-05-05 . Booklist.
  22. Web site: Nightcrawling . 2023-05-05 . . en.
  23. Web site: 2023 Audie Award Winners . 2023-05-05 . . en-US . 2023-04-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406233210/https://www.audiopub.org/2023audieawards-winners . live .
  24. Web site: Ali-Coleman . Khadijah Z. . 2023-06-28 . 2023 Legacy Awards Nominees . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429175058/https://hurstonwright.salsalabs.org/2023legacyawardsnominees/index.html . April 29, 2024 . 2024-04-29 . Hurston/Wright Foundation.
  25. Web site: 2023-03-15 . 2023 Lambda Award Shortlist Finalists Announced . 2023-05-06 . BOOK RIOT . en-US . 2023-04-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230428062058/https://bookriot.com/2023-lambda-award-shortlist-finalists-announced/ . live .