Day 7: Nikki Giovanni

Known around the world for her award-winning, soul-stirring poetry and activism, Nikki Giovanni has been creating books for young people for more than four decades. From Spin a Soft Black Song (1971) and Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People (1973)  to Rosa (2005) and Hip Hop Speaks to Children (2008), Giovanni’s poetry collections for kids and picture books celebrate our history and [ Read the full article… ]

Day 6: Keith D. Shepherd

Keith Shepherd is an artist, designer, and illustrator, living in Kansas City, Missouri. He began his professional career at Hallmark Cards. Shepherd’s art has been exhibited at galleries shows around the country. Most notably, a painting entitled Sunday Best, became a part of the permanent collection at the Negro League Baseball Museum. Shepherd’s bold and colorful art [ Read the full article… ]

Day 1: Kwame Alexander

Poet Kwame Alexander has won acclaim for many things – creating the Capital BookFest, a touring book festival which reached more than 10,000 people, pioneering his Book-in-a-Day writing and publishing program which has turned more than 1000 teens into student authors. But today, he’s winning kudos for something entirely new: writing for children. During a summer [ Read the full article… ]