Leila Mottley
Leila Mottley (born 2002) is an American novelist and poet. 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, where she continues to reside. She began attending Smith College in 2019 and is currently on indefinite leave to pursue writing. 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. Her poetry has appeared in The New York Times. Mottley co-wrote and starred in a documentary short, When I Write It, an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020. In June 2022, Mottley published her first novel, Nightcrawling, which she began writing at age 16. 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. 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. Her debut novel, Nightcrawling, was an Oprah's Book Club pick in June 2022, and AudioFile included it on their list of the best audiobooks of 2022. In 2023 she received a PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award for Nightcrawling. Selected publications 

 Nightcrawling (2022)

References

External links 

 Official website

21st-century American poets
Living people
2002 births
Smith College alumni
Novelists from California
Poets from California
Writers from Oakland, California
American women poets
21st-century American novelists
American women novelists