J vs. K

About the Author

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 40 books, including An American Story, The Door of No Return, Becoming Muhammad Ali (co-authored with James Patterson), Rebound, which was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, and The Undefeated, the National Book Award nominee, Newbery Honor, and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

Kwame is also the Executive Producer, Showrunner, and Emmy-winning Writer of The Crossover TV series, based on his Newbery-Medal winning novel of the same name, which premiered on Disney+ in April 2023. The series was produced in partnership with LeBron James’ SpringHill Company and Big Sea Entertainment, Kwame’s production company that is dedicated to creating innovative, highly original children’s and family entertainment. Other current projects in development at Big Sea include America’s Next Great Author, the groundbreaking reality television series for writers.

A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, he regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing there and around the world at events like the Chautauqua Lecture Series, the Edinburgh Book Festival, Aspen Ideas, and the Global Literacy Symposium in Ghana, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana. Most recently he was appointed the Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts and Writer-in-Residence at the Chautauqua Institution.
His mission is to change the world, one word at a time.

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About the Illustrator

JERRY CRAFT is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid, Class Act, and School Trip.  New Kid is the first graphic novel in history to win the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature (2020). And it is the only book to ever win the Newbery Medal; the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature (2019), and the Coretta Scott King Author Award for the most outstanding work by an African American writer (2020).

Jerry has worked as an advertising copywriter where he created print ads, radio and TV commercials; as an assistant artist for Barbara Slate to produce a variety of comic books and graphic novels including Sweet 16 (Marvel Comics) and New Kids on the Block (Harvey Comics); and for King Features Syndicate where he wrote brochures for some of their biggest comic strips including Beetle Bailey and Hagar the Horrible. While at King Features, he created a weekly syndicated comic strip called Mama’s Boyz that was featured in four books and was printed in hundreds of newspapers across the country. He was also the Editorial Director of the Sports Illustrated for Kids website where he designed games and created Flash animated cartoons.

In 2007, Jerry started Mama’s Boyz, Inc, his own publishing company which produced more than two dozen books for kids, and is the co-founder of the Schomburg’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival, the largest African American comics festival in the world.

Jerry is the Executive Producer of the upcoming New Kid movie based on his Newbery-Medal winning graphic novel of the same name. It will be produced in partnership with LeBron James’ SpringHill Company and Universal Studios.

He was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City and now travels the world telling kids and their families about the importance of reading.

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