Kwame Alexander
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Children's Fiction
Award-winning Memoirist
Emmy Award-winning Producer
Newbery Medalist
Readings &
Lecture Topics
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Saying Yes to Life
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Be Constructive With Your Blues
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A Life in Literature
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Poetry as a Bridge to Humanity
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Inspiring Young Readers
- An Evening with Kwame Alexander
Biography
“A refreshing masculine vulnerability that is rarely seen.” –The Washington Post
“Rich with solace and wisdom.” –Kirkus Reviews
Kwame Alexander is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 44 books, including Why Fathers Cry at Night, How Sweet The Sound, J vs. K – an illustrated novel he penned with Jerry Craft – and the just released motivational primer for graduates, creatives, and professionals entitled Say Yes. Often infused with rhythm and vivid storytelling, Alexander’s award-winning books resonate with young readers through themes of identity, family, and resilience. His breakout novel The Crossover, written in dynamic free verse, earned the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Honor. Across genres, Alexander blends lyrical poetry with themes of identity, family, and social justice, as seen in works like The Undefeated, a Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor winner, and Becoming Muhammad Ali, written with James Patterson.
Alexander’s Why Fathers Cry at Night combines poetry, memoir, letters, and recipes as he explores the emotional landscape of fatherhood, divorce, and healing. Through lyrical and candid writing, Alexander confronts his past and centers moments of growth and love through a layered portrait of masculinity and vulnerability. Kirkus Review says of the poetic memoir: “Alexander connects disparate forms through his disarmingly forthright, humble voice, familiar vernacular, and optimism. This magnanimous hybrid-form memoir is rich with solace and wisdom.”
He is an Emmy Award-winning producer of The Crossover, his Newbery Medal-winning novel turned Disney+ TV series. Alexander is currently collaborating with Christopher Jackson and Candrice Jones on The Crossover musical, a Chautauqua Theater Company commission which will be directed by Jade King Carroll. He is the creator of the new animated PBS special Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Band, and the host of America’s Next Great Author, the first reality television show for writers which is produced by Libby and Kanopy and will premiere in 2026.
A recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award, Alexander is also the Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts for Chautauqua Literary Arts. He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world, including Ghana, West Africa, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. He is the founder of the literacy initiatives Book‑in‑a‑Day and Publisher Versify, and continues to amplify voices through workshops, podcasts, and global mentorship.
Short Bio
Kwame Alexander is an Emmy Award-winning producer of The Crossover, his Newbery Medal-winning novel turned Disney+ TV series, the creator of the new animated PBS special Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Band, and the host of America’s Next Great Author, the first reality television show for writers which is produced by Libby and Kanopy and will premiere in 2026. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 44 books, including Why Fathers Cry at Night, How Sweet The Sound, J vs. K – an illustrated novel he penned with Jerry Craft – and the just released motivational primer for graduates, creatives and professionals entitled Say Yes. A recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award, Alexander is also the Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts for Chautauqua Literary Arts. He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world, including Ghana, West Africa, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic.
Kid-friendly Bio
Kwame Alexander has written 44 books, one of them in Panera Bread, several of them on airplanes and in hotel rooms, and three of them in a penthouse with huge windows in London. He now lives and writes in an apartment building that used to be a hotel which used to have a restaurant that Langston Hughes was a busboy in. His apartment has a blue couch, a large painting of Nikki Giovanni, and a bunch of awards—including his Newbery Medal, NAACP Image Award, Emmy Award, which he keeps in the guest bathroom so all his guests can see them up close. When he’s not writing books like The Crossover, Kwame’s likes to walk around Washington, DC listening to podcasts and audio books, and go shopping with his six feet tall daughter, who is about to go to college. Kwame has eaten snails, chocolate covered bugs, and grasscutter, which is like a big rat, which he had no idea he was eating because it was in a really tasty stew he ate in Ghana while building a library and a health clinic in a village called Konko. He’s never eaten frogs. But, he has written a book about them called Surf’s Up. The first children’s book Kwame ever wrote was about a Rooster that starts a jazz band, and guess what…He turned into a TV show and a game on PBS Kids. It’s called Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band. Kwame loves jazz. Kwame loves his family. Kwame loves his job. Kwame’s job is to Change the World One Word at a Time.
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Publications
The Mighty Macy
YA, 2026
A young girl finds her voice—and discovers the power of speaking up for herself and her community—in this sweet and humorous chapter book by award-winning and #1 bestselling author Kwame Alexander, perfect for fans of Ivy + Bean and Ruby and the Booker Boys.
When Macy gets book one of The Mighty Zora series for her birthday, she stays up until 11:34pm finishing the book. But the next day, when Macy gets to her school library, eager to check out book two, she finds the door locked with a sign explaining that the library will now only be open a few days a week due to budget cuts. Even worse, she finds out her father won’t be home to help her figure out what to do, as he will be traveling to a museum in Montgomery, Alabama to read a poem about civil rights. With help from her fellow third graders, support from her mom, and encouragement from poems written and hidden for her by her father, Macy must find her voice and learn the power of advocating for herself and her community.
Can Macy learn to be Mighty?
Say Yes: Find Your Passion, Unlock Your Potential, and Transform Your Life
Memoir, 2025
Kwame Alexander’s Say Yes is a meaningful manifesto that challenges readers to embrace the transformative power of “yes.” Adapted from Alexander’s inspiring commencement speech at American University, this book weaves personal stories, profound insights, and actionable wisdom into a must-read guide for anyone ready to fuel their passion, turn rejection into resilience, and unlock their potential.
The Crossover
YA Novel, 2014
“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering,” announces dreadlocked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court.
But Josh has more than basketball in his blood. He’s got mad beats, too, that tell his family’s story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander. Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.
Disney+ series streaming April 5, with executive producers including Kwame Alexander and NBA great LeBron James!
This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets
Poetry, 2024
A breathtaking poetry collection on hope, heart, and heritage from the most prominent and promising Black poets and writers of our time, edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander.
In this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology, bestselling author and poet Kwame Alexander curates a collection of contemporary anthems at turns tender and piercing and deeply inspiring throughout. Featuring work from well-loved poets such as Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Warsan Shire, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan Parker, and Nikki Giovanni, This Is the Honey is a rich and abundant offering of language from the poets giving voice to generations of resilient joy, “each incantation,” as Mahogany L. Browne puts it in her titular poem, is “a jubilee of a people dreaming wildly.”
This essential collection, in the tradition of Dudley Randall’s The Black Poets and E. Ethelbert Miller’s In Search of Color Everywhere, contains poems exploring joy, love, origin, race, resistance, and praise. Jacqueline A.Trimble likens “Black woman joy” to indigo, tassels, foxes, and peacock plumes. Tyree Daye, Nate Marshall, and Elizabeth Acevedo reflect on the meaning of “home” through food, from Cuban rice and beans to fried chicken gizzards. Clint Smith and Cameron Awkward-Rich enfold us in their intimate musings on love and devotion. From a “jewel in the hand” (Patricia Spears Jones) to “butter melting in small pools” (Elizabeth Alexander), This Is the Honey drips with poignant and delightful imagery, music, and raised fists.
Fresh, memorable, and deeply moving, this definitive collection a must-have for any lover of language and a gift for our time.
The Door of No Return
YA Novel, 2024
In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him, ”There are things about the water you do not know. “Like what? Kofi asks. “The beasts.” His brother answers.
One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi’s world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
This spellbinding novel by the author of The Crossover and Booked will take you on an unforgettable adventure that will open your eyes and break your heart.
The Door of No Return is an excellent choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, book groups, and homeschooling.
The Undefeated
Children's Book, 2019
The Newbery Award-winning author of The Crossover pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree.
Originally performed for ESPN’s The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
Why Fathers Cry at Night
Memoir, 2023
In an intimate and non-traditional (or “new-fashioned”) memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships—his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother’s recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters.
Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love.
How To Write A Poem
Children's Book, 2023
In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world around you.
Begin
with a question
like an acorn
waiting for spring.
From this first stanza, readers are invited to pay attention—and to see that paying attention itself is poetry. Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido’s playful text and Melissa Sweet’s dynamic, inventive artwork are paired together to encourage readers to listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world around them—poems just waiting to be written down.
How To Read A Book
Children's Book, 2019
A stunning new picture book from Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet! This New York Times bestselling duo has teamed up for the first time to bring you How to Read a Book, a poetic and beautiful journey about the experience of reading.
Find a tree—a
black tupelo or
dawn redwood will do—and
plant yourself.
(It’s okay if you prefer a stoop, like Langston Hughes.)
With these words, an adventure begins. Kwame Alexander’s evocative poetry and Melissa Sweet’s lush artwork come together to take readers on a sensory journey between the pages of a book.
Swing
YA Novel, 2018
Best friends Noah and Walt are far from popular, but Walt is convinced junior year is their year, and he has a plan that includes wooing the girls of their dreams and becoming amazing athletes. Never mind he and Noah failed to make their baseball team yet again, and Noah’s crush since third grade, Sam, has him firmly in the friend zone. While Walt focuses on his program of jazz, podcasts, batting cages, and a “Hug Life” mentality, Noah feels stuck in status quo … until he stumbles on a stash of old love letters. Each one contains words Noah’s always wanted to say to Sam, and he begins secretly creating artwork using the lines that speak his heart. But when his art becomes public, Noah has a decision to make: continue his life in the dugout and possibly lose the girl forever, or take a swing and finally speak out.
At the same time, American flags are being left around town. While some think it’s a harmless prank and others see it as a form of protest, Noah can’t shake the feeling something bigger is happening to his community. Especially after he witnesses events that hint divides and prejudices run deeper than he realized.
As the personal and social tensions increase around them, Noah and Walt must decide what is really important when it comes to love, friendship, sacrifice, and fate.
Rebound
YA Novel, 2018
From the New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound, the dynamic prequel to his Newbery Award–winning novel in verse, The Crossover.
Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his own moves. Chuck Bell takes center stage as readers get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping, basketball star his sons look up to.
A novel in verse with all the impact and rhythm readers have come to expect from Kwame Alexander, Rebound goes back in time to visit the childhood of Chuck “Da Man” Bell during one pivotal summer when young Charlie is sent to stay with his grandparents where he discovers basketball and learns more about his family’s past.
Solo
YA Novel, 2017
Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy, including the loss of his mother. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming Blade will become just like his father.
In reality, the only thing Blade and Rutherford have in common is the music that lives inside them. And songwriting is all Blade has left after Rutherford, while drunk, crashes his high school graduation speech and effectively rips Chapel away forever. But when a long-held family secret comes to light, the music disappears. In its place is a letter, one that could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift.
Booked
YA Novel, 2016
Nick Hall lives and breathes soccer. But when he’s sidelined by an injury, his word-loving father takes the opportunity to try to instill a love of reading into his reluctant son. Nick’s mother leaves for a job out of state, he and his best friend hit the skids, he’s dealing with a bully, and on top of all of that, he has to navigate the highs and lows of a first crush.
With an impressive array of poetry styles—free verse, acrostics, haiku—and the pacing of a soccer match—at times leisurely and thoughtful, at others frenetic and heart-stopping— Booked is both poetry for Lionel Messi fanatics and a sports novel for those more likely to memorize a sonnet than kick a soccer ball. But what it is—at its rhythmic, loving heart—is a novel about a father and son, family and friendship, and the true power that words can have on and off the page.
Articles & Audio
Read What’s In Print
• Kwame Alexander Collaborating on The Crossover Musical – Playbill
• Review of Why Fathers Cry at Night – Kirkus Reviews
• The joys and challenges of family in four new memoirs – The Washington Post
• Kwame Alexander Gets Kids Reading and Thinking of the Future as It Could Be – Oprah Daily
• A Conversation With Kwame Alexander – Scholastic Kids Press
• How To Get Kids Hooked On Books? ‘Use Poetry. It Is A Surefire Way’ – NPR
• Ten Questions for Kwame Alexander – Poets & Writers
Listen to Audio
• ‘Where I’m From’: A Crowdsourced Poem That Collects Your Memories Of Home – NPR
• Examining anti-immigration propaganda throughout U.S. history – WBUR: Here & Now
• Riffing on Acoustic Rooster with Kwame Alexander and Julius Harper – WGBH
• Poet Kwame Alexander reflects on Why Fathers Cry at Night – NPR
• The WHY FATHERS CRY Podcast – Kwame Alexander
• Changing the World One Story at a Time – You Are What You Read
• #102 Kwame Alexander: What My Father Taught Me About Love – Paternal Podcast
• Bending Genres: Telling Your Story, Your Way – Write-Minded
Selected Writings
• Read “My Mother’s Fried Chicken Was a Link to My Past—and My Daughter’s Future” – bon appétit
• Kwame Alexander on Children’s Books and the Color of Characters – New York Times
Why Fathers Cry At Night (an excerpt, originally published with CBS News)
I was two. It was my birthday. She gave me wooden blocks in all shapes. For me to fit in a wooden box. A puzzle of sorts. She showed me how to do it once. Maybe twice, then said, with a smile, Now, you figure it out, son. I said, Okay, Mommy. It took a while. But I did. And, of course, I wanted to do it again and again. And she sat right there while I did. Hugging me, wiping chocolate ice cream from my lips. Telling me to be careful not to get any on my favorite black‑and‑white dashiki. At some point, she got up, ’cause she had to go to work, or cook, or have a life. And I was mad and sad, and unsure again. But her job was done. I’d figured that puzzle out enough times to do it by myself. And she knew that. Still, it wasn’t as much fun without her. And it wasn’t the same kind of happy. But I felt loved. Because she was there. And that gave me strength to carry on.
My mother died on September 1, 2017. Within a month, the cracks in my marriage emerged. They would eventually become impassable canyons. Within two years, our eldest would pack her belongings — clothes, books, heart — and leave home. And leave us. Overnight, I was barefoot on Everest. Marcus Garvey without a ship. This puzzle was now sky, the pieces of my love life scattered across it, and my mother, the one person who seemed to know how to live like a rainbow in the clouds, the woman with the answers I needed like winter needed snow, was resting in peace. And I drifted. In sadness. Seeking memory. Barbara Elaine Johnson Alexander was my first teacher. She read to us fables and fiction after dinner. Taught us Swahili at breakfast. Jambo meant Hello. And Kupenda meant to love. I was her firstborn, full of independence and rebellion. When I didn’t get my way, she would often spoil my sulking with stories that either made me howl with laughter or hang on the cliff of her tongue. I fell in love with her because of this. Because of the tender power of her voice. She made words dance off the page and into my imagination. Her morning wake‑up calls were soul songs — chorus and verse. She called us for dinner like we’d won something. A nighttime poem became a play became a production that me and my sisters embraced. Our bedrooms were Broadway. She taught me an appreciation of language by reciting Lucille Clifton and Nikki Giovanni aloud. She showed me rhythm and melody when she turned off the television, to our dismay, and sang African folktales, like “The Beautiful Girl Who Had No Teeth,” which Eartha Kitt made famous. And no matter how many times I wanted to hear Dr. Seuss’s Fox in Socks, she let me hear it. When I could read on my own, she listened to me. Over and over. She helped me to love each day with words. And that gave me courage.
