Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, educator, and award-winning author. Mariama’s middle-grade debut, For Black Girls Like Me, earned five starred reviews and was a Today Show 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. Her second young adult novel, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, was published in October 2025 and is a USA Today bestseller.