"Crossover" Author Kwame Alexander Speaks April 27 at Art Museum
Kwame Alexander, an award-winning young adult author and educator, will deliver two presentations on April 27, 2023, at the Springfield Art Museum, 1111 E. Brookside Drive.
From 7-8 p.m. during a free event in the auditorium, he will discuss his works and young adult literature, and remain after for a book signing.
“The Kwame Alexander speaking events will be inspirational for young students who have read Mr. Alexander’s books, and for others with an interest in young adult literature,” said Dr. Grace Jackson-Brown, a librarian with Missouri State University Libraries and chairperson of the Springfield African American Read-In literacy initiative.
From 3:30-5 p.m. in the community room, Alexander will present a workshop for K-12 teachers on teaching writing to youth. Registration is required; for details call Rhonda Hittenberger Ortiz, Instructional Specialist, MSU Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning, at (417)836-4090.
Kwame Alexander is the author of “Crossover,” a verse novel that won the 2015 Newbery Award. He has written over 20 books with an emphasis on poetry and young adult fiction. Alexander is the founder of two writing initiatives, Book-in-a-Day, a nonprofit educational literacy service established in the U.S. in 2006, and Leap (Literacy Empowerment Action Project) that began in 2012 to increase educational opportunities in the African nation of Ghana. He has written two books about writing and publishing: “Do the Write Thing: Seven Steps to Publishing (2002); and “The Write Thing,” (2008) with co-author Nina Foxx.
Kwame Alexander’s presentations are sponsored through a partnership of the Springfield Art Museum, MSU Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning, and the African American Read-In, which is a collaborative of the MSU Libraries; the Springfield-Greene County Library District; Drury University; Springfield Public Schools; and the Springfield NAACP.
The author’s presentations are supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
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