Author Spotlight: Mahogany L. Browne

A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe By Mahogany L. Browne

★ “Heavy, important, powerful and evergreen; remembers kids during the time when the world stopped.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “An emotionally impactful read.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.”
—Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author

In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon.

Grief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection.

In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances:

• Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality.
• Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine.
• Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents.
• Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive.
• A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children.

From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chlorine Sky By Mahogany L. Browne

★ “A remarkable, compelling voice.” —The Bulletin, starred review

“A coming-of-age novel for Black girls who have been told they’re too much and yet never enough.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An absolute masterpiece.”—Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X

“A story about heart and backbone, and one only Mahogany L. Browne could bring forth.” —Jason Reynolds, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down

From the first ever poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center comes a bold coming-of-age story told in verse about a young woman who loses a best friend, but finds herself in the process. The joys of basketball, the tumult of high school, and the bonds of family are lyrically woven together in this must-read novel.

With Lay Li I don’t have to think too hard
I’m the friend of the star
& I don’t mind, not at all
It gives me time to think about my dreams & the WNBA
But when I call Lay Li & she don’t pick up
A pit in my stomach grows like a redwood tree

Sky is used to standing in the shadow of her best friend. Lay Li is the sun everyone orbits around. But since high school started, Lay Li has begun attracting the attention of boys, and Sky is left out in the cold. The only place Sky can find her footing is on the basketball court. With each dribble of the ball, Sky begins to find her own rhythm. Lay Li may always be the sun, but that doesn’t mean Sky can’t shine on her own.

With gritty and heartbreaking honesty, a critically acclaimed poet, delivers her first novel in verse about broken promises, fast rumors, and learning to generate your own light.

Vinyl Moon By Mahogany L. Browne

★ “Interweave[s] poetry and prose… portraying with nuance a group of Brooklyn teens unpacking their traumas and finding their joy.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A beautiful love letter to Brooklyn, Black authors, and the beats that create the soundtrack of a young life evolving.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Browne’s bold imagining of robust support systems, reliable friendships, and assertive self-discovery offers a thoughtful roadmap for teens navigating tough times.” –The Bulletin

“An important asset for all school and library collections.” –SLJ

“A true embodiment of the term Black Girl Magic.” –Booklist

A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain.

When Darius told Angel he loved her, she believed him. But five weeks after the incident, Angel finds herself in Brooklyn, far from her family, from him, and from the California life she has known.

Angel feels out of sync with her new neighborhood. At school, she can’t shake the feeling everyone knows what happened—and that it was her fault. The only place that makes sense is Ms. G’s class. There, Angel’s classmates share their own stories of pain, joy, and fortitude. And as Angel becomes immersed in her revolutionary literature course, the words from Black writers like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Zora Neale Hurston speak to her and begin to heal the wounds of her past.

This stunning novel weaves together prose, poems, and vignettes to tell the story of Angel, a young woman whose past was shaped by domestic violence but whose love of language and music and the gift of community grant her the chance to find herself again.