Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, educator, and award-winning author. She has been telling stories and making her own books since the second grade, when she wore shortalls and flower leggings every day to school. Mariama’s debut poetry collection, Solitary Animal, will be out with Stalking Horse Press in the Fall of 2027. Her works for young people have gained critical acclaim, with her debut middle-grade novel, For Black Girls Like Me, earning five starred reviews and a spot on the Today Show’s Best Kids’ Book of 2019. Her sophomore middle-grade book, In The Key of Us, is a Stonewall Honor Award book and was featured in the New York Times. Her debut young adult novel, Forever is Now, is the 2024 winner of the Schneider Family Book Award, and her second young adult novel, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, is a USA Today bestseller.
Mariama holds a Masters in Education from Lesley University and a Masters in Fine Arts in Poetry from San Francisco State University, she calls many places home, but currently lives in Kentucky with her wife, her sausage dogs, Walter and Sammy, and an abundance of plants. You can find her on Bluesky @marilock and on Instagram/TikTok @forblackgirlslikeme.
