ICYMI Cool To Be You: Kwame Alexander On Authenticity

Jul 23, 2025

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This week, we revisit our episode with Kwame Alexander while we take a quick summer break!

Kwame Alexander recently interviewed the esteemed and now former Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, for the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia. They talked about the power of poetry, the role of libraries in creating access and imagination, how Dr. Hayden remains hopeful and positive in this moment, and of course, how books can help kids be better humans and dreamers. It was such an inspiring conversation that we wanted to re-air this much earlier episode with the bestselling, beloved author (and apparently incredible interviewer!) Kwame Alexander.

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"I'm just being real. I'm telling my story. I think Nikki Giovanni calls it dancing naked on the floor. I am unafraid and I'm doing my dance… I don't feel like I can go wrong if I'm just being me.” - Kwame Alexander

Exciting reluctant middle school kids about reading (or really, anything) can be a battle. Getting them to think reading is cool is another. Kwame Alexander excels at both. His ability to authentically relate to his readers is a skill around which he has built his career.

Kwame is beloved by parents, educators, and students, for his ability to ignite a love of reading (especially middle school boys) through poetry and characters who reflect their real experiences. But his impact extends beyond just an introduction to books; he also opens the door for readers to explore their own emotional depths. As he tells us, “I think part of my job is just to show a different side of masculinity.”

Kwame is best known for "The Crossover," "The Undefeated," "The Door of No Return," and numerous other novels and poetry collections. He also recently authored his memoir "Why Fathers Cry at Night." He won the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award among many other awards, and this year, "The Crossover" was adapted into a Disney+ original TV series.

In this episode, he tells us about his own upbringing surrounded by Black storytelling and literature, reveals his secret to making middle-schoolers think he’s “cool”, and shares about a letter he received (which was “not fan mail”) that inspired a surprise visit to an unsuspecting kid.

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This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kirsten, the programming specialist for the Indianapolis Public Library. She shares some moving stories about a book club she runs for teens at a residential treatment facility.

Chapters

Chapter 1: Glasses first

Chapter 2: Mom’s stories, dad’s garage

Chapter 3: Love After Love

Chapter 4: The “Reluctant” Readers

Chapter 5: Kwame Shows Up

Chapter 6: America’s Next Great Authors

Chapter 7: Blackout

Chapter 8: Beanstack Featured Librarian

Chapter 9: Hidden Track

Links

Host and Production Credits

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey
Producers: Mel Webb, Jackie Lamport, and Lower Street Media
Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

*ICYMI* Cool To Be You: Kwame Alexander On Authenticity

ICYMI Cool To Be You: Kwame Alexander On Authenticity