Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, Emmy® Award–winning producer and a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 45 books, including Why Fathers Cry at Night; Black Star; The Door of No Return;J vs. K, an illustrated novel penned with Jerry Craft; the motivational primer for graduates, creatives and professionals entitled Say Yes; Becoming Muhammad Ali (co-authored with James Patterson); and The Undefeated, a Newbery Honor and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

Kwame is also the executive producer of the Emmy® Award-winning Disney+ TV series The Crossover, based on his Newbery Medal-winning novel of the same name. The series was produced in partnership with LeBron James’ Springhill Company and Big Sea Entertainment, Kwame’s production company. Big Sea is dedicated to creating innovative, highly original children’s and family entertainment. Other Big Sea projects include Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band, and Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams, a PBS KIDS special and series of shorts based on his beloved children's book, as well as America's Next Great Author, a groundbreaking reality TV series for writers.

He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world at events such as Aspen Ideas, the Edinburgh Book Festival, and the Global Literacy Symposium in Ghana, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. A recipient of a 2025 NAACP Image Award, Kwame is also the Artistic Director of Literary Arts for the Chautauqua (pronounced shuh-TAH-kwuh) Institution and the founder of the literacy non-profit One Word at a Time.