Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander was born in Manhattan to a family of artists and writers; his father was a publisher and his mother taught English, while his siblings are models, photographers, and work in the entertainment industry. He studied medicine at Virginia Tech but while in school, he began writing poetry as a hobby. A professor encouraged him to pursue poetry seriously, so Alexander started his own publishing company. He's been publishing poetry since the early 1990s but didn't turn to writing verse novels like The Crossover until the late 2000s. He's stated in interviews that his middle-grade verse novels are intended to bridge the gap between Shel Silverstein and Shakespeare, as well as encourage reluctant readers to read. The Crossover won the Newbery Medal in 2015 and was also recognized as an Honor book for the Coretta Scott King award. Alexander lives in Reston, Virginia and when he's not writing, he runs programs to introduce children to writing and publishing.