Mahogany L. Browne, notable American poet, writer, organizer, and educator, is the author of the new YA novel, A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe (2025).

Longlisted for the National Book Award, the book follows a variety of New York City teenagers as they cope with isolation and interrupted lives during the COVID-era lockdown, seeking purpose as well as joy. Brendan Kiely called it, “A gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.”

Her previous YA novels include Chlorine Sky (2021) and Vinyl Moon (2022). Her books of poetry include Chrome Valley (2023), a TIME Best Book of the Year, and the celebrated book-length poem, Black Girl Magic (2018). She visited the NYS Writers Institute in 2020.