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Mia McKenzie

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mia McKenzie
Born
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation
  • Writer
  • activist
Alma materUniversity of Pittsburgh

Mia McKenzie is an American writer, activist, and founder of the blog Black Girl Dangerous (BGD).[1] She grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pittsburgh.[2] McKenzie is a queer Black feminist and writes primarily about LGBTQ people of color. She is a recipient of the Lambda Literary Award for her debut novel, The Summer We Got Free,[3] as well as her 2021 novel, Skye Falling.[4][5] Her essays and short stories appear regularly on BGD[6] as well as in various publications,[7] such as The Kenyon Review.[8]

McKenzie presents talks that center on the intersections of race, class, queerness, and gender at universities and conferences across the United States.[9][10] She lives in Massachusetts.[11]

Personal life and education

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Mia McKenzie was born and raised in Philadelphia.[12] She grew up in a working-class Christian family.[13] In an interview with Elixher magazine, McKenzie states: "I come from a family of churchgoers and I was raised going to church, and because of that I have a particular interest in and connection to the stories of Black church folk, and especially the ways in which incredible amounts of queerness and equal amounts of homophobia co-exist in Black churches."[14] McKenzie studied writing at the University of Pittsburgh.[15]

Lectures and appearances

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McKenzie has visited several universities, colleges, and conferences to speak on race, class, gender, queerness and their intersections. Brown University,[10] UC Santa Barbara,[16] and the University of Oregon[9] are among the institutions where she has presented. In 2013 she gave a keynote address at Harvard University to the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Conference.[17]

Reception

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Mia McKenzie's work has been referenced on news sites such as Salon,[18] HuffPost Black Voices,[19] The New Republic,[20] and The Brown Daily Herald.[10] In her interview with Elixher, McKenzie talks about why she started Black Girl Dangerous:

As Black women, we are always so cognizant of people’s perceptions of us, and always having to modify ourselves–our tones of voice, the language we use–to make other people feel less threatened by us. We are expected to accommodate anti-Black racism by not doing or saying anything that will scare white folks. In this way, we are asked to make racism easier for people. I got tired of being expected to do that. I decided that I would, instead, embrace my own dangerousness–remake it and reshape it and retell it–and use it as a tool of self-expression.[14]

Awards and distinctions

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Selected works

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References

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  1. ↑ Rodriguez, Carlos Michael (2016-04-14). "Black Girl Dangerous' Mia McKenzie Speaks at NYU Ally Week". Washington Square News. Archived from the original on 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  2. ↑ "Black Girl Dangerous". PennState African American Studies. 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  3. 1 2 Yates, Ryan (2013-06-04). "2013 Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  4. 1 2 "2022 Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bernabe, Angeline Jane (June 25, 2021). "'GMA' buzz picks: 'Skye Falling' by Mia McKenzie". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  6. ↑ Whitney, Todd (2015-04-15). "Black Girl Dangerous: a conversation with Mia McKenzie". KALW. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  7. ↑ "McSweeney's Issue 51". The McSweeney’s Store. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  8. ↑ "Mia McKenzie". The Kenyon Review. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  9. 1 2 Benner, Rachel (April 15, 2015). "'Black Girl Dangerous' Mia McKenzie speaks at U of O". Daily Emerald. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Nadboy, Jason (November 20, 2013). "Blogger talks inequality, privilege". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  11. ↑ "Mia McKenzie". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  12. ↑ Tharpe, Ember V. (2025-06-16). "Interview with Mia McKenzie, author of These Heathens". BookPage. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  13. 1 2 Robinson, Yolo Akili (2013-10-03). "Brilliant Black Fiction: Mia McKenzie's The Summer We Got Free". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  14. 1 2 Johnson, Cyrée Jarelle (November 5, 2012). "InspiHERed By: Mia McKenzie". Elixher.
  15. ↑ "The banal and the profane: Mia McKenzie". Lambda Literary Review. January 6, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ Babauta, Chloe (2014-05-25). "UCSB Womyn's Commission Hosts Safe Space After Tragedy Through 2014 Womyn of Color Conference". The Bottom Line. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  17. ↑ Lefton, Clara (October 1, 2014). "HBGC Hosts Fourth Annual LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Conference". The Rainbow Times. Archived from the original on 2015-02-04.
  18. ↑ Cooper, Brittney (2015-07-09). "Black America's Bill Cosby nightmare: Why it's so painful to abandon the lies that he told". Salon. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  19. ↑ Blay, Zeba (2015-07-30). "How White People Sound When They Argue About Racism". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  20. ↑ Berlatsky, Noah (2015-07-07). "Rihanna Is No Pam Grier". The New Republic. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  21. ↑ "2011 Leeway Transformation Awards Announced". Leeway Foundation. 2011-12-15.
  22. ↑ Sackschewsky, Leisl (March 2015). "Black Girl Dangerous: On Race, Queerness, Class, and Gender". Studies in the Humanities. 41 (1/2): 253–254.
  23. ↑ Franklin, MJ (June 22, 2021). "Life gets hectic fast for a heroine and her newfound 12-year-old". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  24. ↑ "THESE HEATHENS". Kirkus Reviews. April 19, 2025.
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