Kwame Alexander
1 book analyzed
Biography
Kwame Alexander (born 1968) grew up in a literary household — his mother was an English teacher, his father a publisher. He played basketball as a teenager and nearly pursued it seriously before choosing writing. He spent years as a poet, spoken word performer, and publisher before The Crossover became his breakthrough. Alexander has said the novel took him seven years to write and was rejected by multiple publishers who didn't believe a verse novel about basketball would find an audience. He has since become one of the most influential voices in children's literature, winning the Newbery Medal (2015), the Coretta Scott King Honor, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. He has written over 35 books and is a vocal advocate for getting books into the hands of reluctant readers, particularly young Black boys.