# 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 11, 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.
In 2024 Unspoken, was awarded School Library Association Winner for the Children’s Choice Award.
Awards for Alexander's books :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 2014 | The Crossover | Cybil Award for Middle Grade Fiction | Finalist |
| 2014 | The Crossover | Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade & Children's | Nominee |
| 2015 | The Crossover | ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults | Top 10 |
| 2015 | The Crossover | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2015 | The Crossover | Coretta Scott King Award for Author | Honor |
| 2015 | The Crossover | Newbery Medal | Winner |
| 2015 | The Crossover | Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers | Top 10 |
| 2016 | Booked | Cybil Award for Poetry | Finalist |
| 2016 | Booked | Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Poetry | Nominee |
| 2016 | Booked | National Book Award for Young People's Literature | Longlist |
| 2016 | Booked | Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award | Nominee |
| 2017 | The Crossover | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2017 | The Crossover | Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award | Winner |
| 2017 | Solo | Goodreads Choice Awards for Poetry | Nominee |
| 2017 | Out of Wonder | Cybil Award for Poetry | Finalist |
| 2017 | Out of Wonder | Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth | Selection |
| 2018 | Rebound | Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Poetry | Nominee |
| 2018 | Solo | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens | Finalist |
| 2018 | Out of Wonder | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2018 | Out of Wonder | Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrator | Winner |
| 2019 | How to Read a Book | Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Picture Books | Nominee |
| 2019 | Rebound | ALSC Notable Children's Recordings | Selection |
| 2019 | Rebound | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2019 | Rebound | Carnegie Medal | Shortlist |
| 2019 | Swing | Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults | Selection |
| 2019 | The Undefeated | Cybil Award for Fiction Picture Book | Finalist |
| 2019 | The Undefeated | Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Picture Books | Nominee |
| 2019 | The Undefeated | National Book Award for Young People's Literature | Longlist |
| 2020 | How to Read a Book | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2020 | The Undefeated | Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrator | Winner |
| 2020 | The Undefeated | Golden Kite Award | Honor |
| 2020 | The Undefeated | Kirkus Prize | Finalist |
| 2020 | The Undefeated | Newbery Medal | Honor |
| 2020 | The Undefeated | Carter G. Woodson Book Award | Winner |
| 2021 | Becoming Muhammad Ali | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2023 | The Door of No Return | ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults | Top 10 |
| 2023 | The Door of No Return | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2023 | The Door of No Return | Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults | Top 10 |

## 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)