In a late addition to virtual CI8, ABA has added a special session to its publishers day with 2015 Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and 2020 Newbery Medalist Jerry Craft.
In January, Craft’s graphic novel New Kid (HarperCollins) became the first graphic novel to win the Newbery; Alexander’s The Undefeated (Versify), illustrated by Kadir Nelson, won the Caldecott Medal and was also named a Newbery Honor Book. Both books received Coretta Scott King Awards.
During the conversation, the pair will talk about their upcoming work. Craft has a new graphic novel titled Class Act (Quill Tree), the sequel to New Kid, due out in October; while Alexander’s Acoustic Rooster Books will receive a world premiere performance at the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences in Washington, D.C., during the 2020–21 season.
Craft and Alexander will also discuss the importance of Black-owned bookstores and the impact of independent bookstores on their lives.
Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft will appear from 10–11 a.m., July 16. Their conversation will be rebroadcast from 4–5 p.m., July 16.
