The Library is delighted to welcome poet, children’s author, and memoirist Kwame Alexander.
Alexander’s 2021 book, The Door of No Return, an instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, was first of a three-part series following a 19th-century Ghanaian boy as he encounters the transatlantic slave trade.
In 2023, Alexander released his first book for adults, a memoir called Why Fathers Cry at Night. The memoir unfolds through a medley of poems, recipes, letters, and other personal fragments, kaleidoscopically detailing Alexander’s relationships with his daughters and with his own parents.
Other works by Alexander include The Crossover, a novel told entirely through verse, which won the prestigious Newbery Medal, and The Undefeated, a picture book that commemorates the resilience of Black Americans throughout history.
Moderated by journalist Pamela Druckerman, join us for a conversation on boundary-pushing poetry and literature.
Please note this event’s early start time.
About the speakers:
Kwame Alexander is a New York Times-bestselling author of 39 books. His work includes The Crossover (2014), for which he won the Newbery Medal; Becoming Muhammad Ali (2019, co-authored with James Patterson); The Undefeated (2019, nominated for the National Book Award); and Why Fathers Cry at Night (2023). He is also the Executive Producer, Showrunner, and Writer of a television adaptation of The Crossover, which recently premiered on Disney+.
Pamela Druckerman is a French-American journalist and documentary producer who focuses on France and family life. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times International Edition, The Atlantic, Le Monde, Harper’s, and more. She is also the author of five books, including Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting (2012) and There Are No Grown-Ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story (2018).
