Busboys Books Presents: Kwame Alexander for Swing
Date and Time
Nov 25, 2018 4:00 pm
Location
Takoma
235 Carroll St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20012
Nov 25, 2018 4:00 pm
Takoma
Kwame Alexander will be joined by musician Randy Preston.
New York Times bestselling and Newbery award-winning author Kwame Alexander explores how jazz music and 1960s love letters influence the modern-day romance and coming-of-age story found inSwing, published by Blink YA Books and coauthored with Mary Rand Hess. Written in Alexander’s signature intricate, intimate style,Swing tells the story of 17-year-old high school junior Noah, who seeks to make the baseball team and win over the heart of Sam, a girl he’s loved since third grade. Still on the bottom of the social ladder and a little unsure of his future, Noah knows one thing for certain: he must tell Sam how he feels. His best friend Walt, aka Swing, has crazy ideas about how to make the team and win the girl. Crazier still? Random American flags are popping up everywhere around their town. When Noah discovers two unexpected things at a local thrift shop?a love of jazz music and an old Keepall bag?he begins crafting anonymous love letters for Sam while Walt plans a jazz-fueled party. But once Noah thinks he might have life figured out, the mystery of the American flags changes everything yet again.
“At some point in life, we all seek to discover our voice, who we are, and how to love,†said Kwame Alexander. “ Swing follows the journey of two teen boys on the edge of adulthood who are in the midst of this struggle. This book is about love and acceptance—of self and others. And, this book is about embracing all facets of life and being present in those moments. When a reader finishesSwing, I hope they find a bit more self-acceptance and a willingness to open themselves up to others.â€
Like all of Alexander’s novels,Swing addresses topics and issues teens face today in an unconventional setting. His characters embrace diversity and speak in a fresh, bold, and poetic voice that reaches the heart of today’s teen reader. Alexander’s first book with Blink YA Books,Solo, released in 2017 and was a New York Times bestseller.
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 28 books, including SWING, SOLO, and REBOUND, the follow-up to his, Newbery-medal winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. Some of his other works include BOOKED, a NATIONAL BOOK AWARD Nominee, THE PLAYBOOK: 52 RULES TO HELP YOU AIM, SHOOT, AND SCORE IN THIS GAME OF LIFE, and the picture books, OUT OF WONDER, SURF'S UP, and THE UNDEFEATED. The 2018 NEA Read Across America Ambassador, Kwame is also the host and producer of the literary variety/talk show, Bookish, which airs on Facebook Watch, the co-founding director of LEAP for Ghana initiative, that recently built a health clinic and library in the village of Konko and the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.
