She Would Be King (Moore) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1984-85
• Where—Liberia
• Raised—Texas, USA
• Education—B.A., Howard University; M.A., University of Southern California
• Currently—lives in Brookly, New York City, New York


Wayetu Moore is the director of One Moore Book, a nonprofit group that encourages reading for children in countries with low-literacy rates. Her debut novel, She Would Be King, was published in 2018. A memoir is also forthcoming.

Moore was born in Liberia but left when she was only five to escape the country's civil war. She moved to New York City and lived in her mother's dorm room at Columbia University where her mother was finishing up her degree. Three years later, the family settled in Texas, which Moore now calls home.

The author earned her B.A. from Howard University and her M.A. from Southern California University. She is currently working toward a second Master's at Columbia Teacher's College where she is studying the impact of culturally relevant curricula and teaching aids on under-served elementary school children.

Moore has written for Guernica Magazine, Rumpus, Atlantic Monthly and other publications. She has been featured in The Economist, NPR, NBC, BET and ABC, among others, for her work in advocacy for diversity in children’s literature. (Adapted from various online sources. Retrieved 9/14/2018).

Read an author interview here.