by Kekla Magoon

Kekla Magoon (born 1980) is an American author renowned for her young adult and middle grade novels addressing themes of identity, community, empowerment, and social justice, including acclaimed works like The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and X. She received the 2021 Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant contributions to young adult literature and numerous other honors such as Coretta Scott King Honors and an NAACP Image Award. Magoon holds degrees from Northwestern University and Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she has served on the faculty, and she lives in Vermont.