The San Bernardino Public Library will host award-winning author and poet, Kwame Alexander and musician Randy Preston on Tuesday, October 22. The free all-ages event will be held at 6 pm in the Bing Wong Auditorium at the Feldheym Central Library, located at 555 W. 6^th Street.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; How to Read a Book, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Swing; Rebound, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal; and 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 Surf’s Up; Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band; and Out Of Wonder, which won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.

A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Prize, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award, The Dominion Energy Strong Men and Women of Virginia, and the 2018 NEA Read Across America Ambassador.

Kwame’s belief in the power of poetry and literature to inspire, engage, and empower young people is the guiding force behind his appointment as the inaugural Innovator-in-Residence at the American School in London. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers whose mission is to Change the World One Word at a Time. He’s led cultural exchange delegations to Brazil, Italy, Singapore, and Ghana, where he built the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded.

Randy Preston is a singer-songwriter, educator and storyteller, who grew up on 3 different continents.  Raised in England and Kenya, he gained a deep appreciation for the lore, the myths and the legends of the places he has lived.  This love of words and storytelling led to reams of bad poetry, a degree in English Literature, a mildly successful Christian rock band, and culminated in an 18 year teaching career, from the high school classroom to the university lecture hall.

Most recently, Preston has been touring with Kwame Alexander visiting schools and special events to entertain and engage people through catchy music and interactive storytelling. He’s written original songs for Kwame’s latest novels in verse REBOUND, SOLO, and SWING.

Books will be available for purchase at the event. Free tickets can be reserved at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/newbery-award-winning-author-kwame-alexander-tickets-74045822047 or call the library at 909-381-8238 or 909-381-8250.