Leila Mottley

Mottley was born and raised in Oakland, California,^[2] where she continues to reside.^[3] She began attending Smith College in 2019 and is on indefinite leave to pursue writing.^[1] She is Black.^[4]

Mottley was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California, in 2018 at age 16,^[2] 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] In 2025, her second novel, The Girls Who Grew Big, was published, in part inspired by her work as a doula.^[15]

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.^[5][1]

Her debut novel, Nightcrawling, was a New York Times Best Seller^[10] and an Oprah's Book Club pick in June 2022.^[16] AudioFile included it on their list of the best audiobooks of 2022.^[17]

• Nightcrawling (2022)
• woke up no light (2024)
• The Girls Who Grew Big (2025)