Kwame Alexander is a poet, an educator, and the
New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five books, including his Newbery Medal–winning middle grade novel
The Crossover. Some of his other works include
Booked, which was longlisted for the National Book Award;
The Playbook:
52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life;
Swing; the picture books
How to Read a Book and
How to Write a Poem (coauthored with Deanna Nikaido), both illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and
The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s
Morning Edition, currently serving as their poet ambassador. He lives in Virginia with his family. Visit his website at kwamealexander.com.
Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than one hundred books, including Kwame Alexander’s How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem, and has written and illustrated her own work. Her work has been featured in magazines, on greeting cards, and on living room walls. Melissa has received the Caldecott Honor Medal twice, among many other awards, including the Sibert Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author and artist. Melissa lives in Maine. You can visit her at melissasweet.net.
Randy Preston is an African Native American (Piscataway) composer, author, and performer, raised in the UK, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. He started writing music at the age of seven and never stopped. He taught English literature for eighteen years before collaborating with Kwame Alexander, performing at numerous schools and venues around the world. Preston wrote original songs for a number of picture books and children’s shows and composed the score for the musical Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie, starring Indigo Blume.
