Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander (born August 21, 1968) is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.

Personal life and education
Alexander was born in Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Virginia. His father was a scholar and book publisher and his mother was an educator, so he was always surrounded by books.

Alexander attended Virginia Tech, where he began premedical studies before taking a writing class with award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni. On May 11th, 2024, Alexander received an honorary doctorate degree from American University in Washington, DC.

Books
Alexander's picture book Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band was selected for the 2014 "Michigan Reads! One State, One Children's Book" program. He won a 2020 Newbery Honor for his illustrated poem The Undefeated.

Alexander runs the Bookinaday program to introduce children to writing and publishing. He is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition program.

The Door of No Return, a historical verse novel set in Ghana in 1861, told from the perspective of 11-year-old Koffi, was inspired by Alexander's visits to Ghana.

Awards and honors
Alexander has received many awards as a writer, among them the 2017 Pat Conroy Legacy Award (an award that honors the example of acclaimed author Pat Conroy and recognizes writers who have achieved a lasting impact on their literary community), and his verse novel The Crossover won the 2015 Newbery Medal and was selected as an Honor book for the Coretta Scott King Award.

The Crossover, Booked, Out of Wonder, Solo,  Becoming Mohammed Ali,  The Undefeated,  and The Door of No Return  are New York Times bestselling books. The Undefeated is also an IndieBound bestseller.

In 2014, The Crossover was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews and Shelf Awareness.

In 2016, Booked was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews.

In 2017, Out of Wonder was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews

The same year, Solo was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews.

In 2018, Rebound was named one of the best books of the year by ''The Horn Book Magazine. ''

In 2019, The Undefeated was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews and The Horn Book Magazine.

In 2020, Becoming Mohammed Ali was named one of the best books of the year by ''Kirkus Reviews. ''

In 2022, The Door of No Return was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book Magazine, and Shelf Awareness.

In 2023, the adaptation of The Crossover, the Newberry-award winning verse novel won the Outstanding Young Teen Series award at the second annual Children's and Family Emmy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on 17 December, 2023.

Publications

 * Tough Love: Cultural Criticism and Familial Observations on the Life and Death of Tupac Shakur, ed. (1996)
 * Do the Write Thing (2002) (with Nina Foxx)
 * Kwame Alexander's Page-to-Stage Writing Workshop (2016)

Novels

 * He Said, She Said: A Novel (2013)
 * The Crossover (2015)
 * Booked (2016)
 * The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life (2017)
 * Solo (2017) (with Mary Rand Hess)
 * Rebound (2018) (prequel to The Crossover)
 * Swing (2018) (with Mary Rand Hess)
 * The Door of No Return (2022)
 * Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Remembrances (2023)

Picture books

 * Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band (2011)
 * Indigo Blume and the Garden City (2012)
 * Little Boys Soar (2014)
 * Surf's Up (2016)
 * How to Read a Book (2019), illustrated by Melissa Sweet
 * The Undefeated (2019), illustrated by Kadir Nelson
 * An American Story (2023). Published in the UK as Unspoken (2023)

Poems

 * The Flow: New Black Poets in Motion, ed. (1994)
 * Just Us: Poems & Counterpoems, 1986–1995 (1995)
 * 360°: A Revolution of Black Poets, ed. (1998)
 * Kupenda: Love Poems (2000)
 * Dancing Naked on the Floor: poems and essays (2005)
 * The Way I Walk: short stories and poems for Young Adults, ed. (2006)
 * Crush: Love Poems (2007)
 * Family Pictures: Poems and Photographs Celebrating Our Loved Ones, ed. (2007)
 * An American Poem (2008)
 * And Then You Know: New and Selected Poems (2008)
 * The Book Party (2016)
 * The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score into in This Game Called Life (2017)