Mia McKenzie

Mia McKenzie is an American writer, activist, and founder of the blog Black Girl Dangerous (BGD). She grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pittsburgh. 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, as well as her 2021 novel, Skye Falling. Her essays and short stories appear regularly on BGD as well as in various publications, such as The Kenyon Review.

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

Personal life and education Mia McKenzie was born and raised in Philadelphia. She grew up in a working-class Christian family. 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." McKenzie studied writing at the University of Pittsburgh.

Lectures and appearances McKenzie has visited several universities, colleges, and conferences to speak on race, class, gender, queerness and their intersections. Brown University, and the University of Oregon

Reception Mia McKenzie's work has been referenced on news sites such as Salon, HuffPost Black Voices, The New Republic, and The Brown Daily Herald. Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction for The Summer We Got Free (2013) "Crazy". Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, no. 51. 2018 Skye Falling. Random House. 2021 These Heathens. Random House. 2025