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2015 Newbury
Children’s Medal Winner Author Kwame Alexander to Appear in
Toledo October 22!
By Rhonda B. Sewell,
Library Governmental Affairs and Media Strategist
The Truth Contributor
The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and The Blade are
proud to welcome children’s author Kwame Alexander at
7 p.m. on Thursday, October 22 in the McMaster Center
of Main Library, 325 Michigan St. Alexander is the recipient
of the prestigious 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most
Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for
Children for his book The Crossover. Alexander will
be the second speaker for the 2015-2015 20th
Anniversary season of Authors! Authors!, an historic series
which embodies such success and meaning due to its noted
authors who deliver keynote lectures for community
residents.
Alexander, an award-winning Young Adult/Children’s book
author, poet, teacher and literacy advocate, has been
dubbed a "phenom" in the poetry
world by The Charleston (SC) City Paper. He has
written for television, the stage, and authored 14 books
including the best-selling
Do The Write Thing: 7 Steps to Publishing Success,
And Then You Know: New & Selected Poems, and a
young adult title,
Crush: Love Poems.
He speaks, and conducts writing/publishing workshops at
schools and conferences throughout the country. Alexander
resides in the Washington, DC area, where he currently
serves as founding director of Book-in-a-Day, a literacy
program that teaches and inspires youth in the writing and
publishing process. Recently, Alexander served on the
advisory board for Nikki Giovanni’s The 100 Best African
American Poems (Sourcebooks, 2010).
His children’s book,
Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band,
illustrated by New York Times Bestselling Illustrator
Tim Bowers, was published by Sleeping Bear Press in
September 2011; and his debut YA Novel The Crossover,
was published by Harper Collins. The Kwame Alexander Papers,
a collection of his writings, correspondence, and other
professional and personal documents is held at the George
Washington University Gelman Library.
Other 2015-2016 season authors scheduled:
• Wednesday, November 18 – (7 p.m., Stranahan
Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd.): Gloria Steinem –
Toledo-raised American feminist icon, author, journalist and
social/political activist.
SPRING 2016 lineup:
• Wednesday, March 2 – (7 p.m., Stranahan Theater):
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Global icon that changed the
game of professional basketball, New York Times
bestselling author, filmmaker and appointed United States
Cultural Ambassador. The National Basketball Association’s
(NBA) All-Time Leading Scorer with 38,387 points, a six-time
NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a member of six NBA
championship teams, he was twice voted NBA Finals MVP.
• Thursday, April 14 – (7 p.m., McMaster Center, Main
Library): Luis Rodriquez - Award-winning poet
(appointed Poet Laureate of Los Angeles), activist,
bestselling Author (Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang
Days in L.A.) and “reform through art” advocate.
• Friday, May 20 – (7 p.m., Stranahan Theater):
Lynda Barry and Matt Groening – Barry is an
Eisner Award-winning cartoonist and graphic novelist, and
Groening is an Emmy-winning cartoonist, screenwriter,
producer, and creator of Futurama and the long-running
Life in Hell, as well as the longest-running U.S.
primetime television series in history – The Simpsons.
At each program, authors speak for about an hour, followed
by a short question and answer session. Following the
program, the featured author is usually available to sign
copies of their works. Books will be available for purchase
at the program from Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
An anticipated treat for the community, for some 20 years,
Authors! Authors! has welcomed some of the biggest names,
straight off the best-sellers’ lists. Some of the exciting
names from past appearances include David McCullough, Anna
Quindlen, Isabel Allende, Neil Gaiman, Sebastian Junger,
Nicholas Sparks, Bob Woodward, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ray
Bradbury, John Updike, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., P.J.
O'Rourke, Sherman Alexie, Zadie Smith, Henry Winkler, Sue
Grafton, Cokie Roberts, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sandra Cisneros
and Jacques Pepin, to name a few.
For media inquiries please contact Ben Malczewski,
Humanities Department Manager, and Authors! Authors!/Open
Book series Coordinator at
Benjamin.Malczewski@toledolibrary.org or
419.259.5193
Authors! Authors! presentations begin at 7 p.m. Ticket
information will be available beginning Monday, August 3 for
the 2015-16 season. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for
students. For further details please call
419.259.5266or
visit toledolibrary.org.
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