Snapshots of a man learning how to love, one conversation at a time. Hosted by #1 New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander, Why Fathers Cry explores lessons we’ve learned - and unlearned - and the ones we are still learning. Stories about longing, love, and loss. Journeys guided by faith and forgiveness - of others, yes, but also of SELF - past, present, and future. Aspects of fatherhood from a multitude of perspectives. And how getting vulnerable and getting real is the connective tissue that binds us together, gives [...] read more

So many of us have had a fallout with someone once held dear, or know someone in this scenario. In Part II of the Why Fathers Cry: One Year Later special, Kwame Alexander opens up about his own experience on this front in the most important conversation he’s had throughout the series – and in his life – with his eldest daughter, Nandi. As Kwame wrote about in his memoir, Why Fathers Cry at Night , the two had been estranged for the past several years – an estrangement still in play at the time the [...] read more

It’s amazing what can happen in a year, and Kwame Alexander can speak to that firsthand, with deep heart. In Part I of the Why Fathers Cry: One Year Later special, Kwame reveals how his life has changed and what he’s learned since the May 2023 release of his memoir, Why Fathers Cry at Night . The Why Fathers Cry podcast has always featured Kwame in conversation with other men – fathers, sons, husbands, partners. For this one year later special, we’re getting the female perspective, as Kwame is joined by two dear friends [...] read more

As the first season of Why Fathers Cry comes to a close, Kwame Alexander brings it full circle in this pinnacle conversation with someone who has come up in every single episode, and throughout the memoir that inspired the series: his own father, Dr. E. Curtis Alexander. The ultimate renaissance man, Dr. Alexander’s impressive repertoire includes book publisher, author, and much, much more. Join us for this an endearing, insightful exploration of what it means to give love, show love, and receive love, in a head-to-head and heart-to-heart with the very man who [...] read more

In this special episode of Why Fathers Cry , Kwame Alexander bears all with filmmaker, comedian, and New York Times bestselling author W. Kamau Bell, in front of a live audience in Berkeley, California. With a deeper dive into the stories behind the stories shared in Kwame’s memoir, one poignant question leaves him speechless. W. Kamau Bell is a virtuoso in the art of fostering meaningful and memorable discussions. His incredible body of work includes serving as executive producer and director of the award-winning Showtime docu-series, We Need To Talk About Cosby ; [...] read more

Photos feed memories, but our literal and figurative snapshots from seminal childhood moments often informs how we later show up as parents, as partners… as people. In the latest episode of Why Fathers Cry, Kwame Alexander explores this notion with Jonathan Eig, bestselling author of six books, including his most recent King: A Life. Hailed by The New York Times as a "monumental" new biography of Martin Luther King Jr. , King: A Life was also nominated for the National Book Award, featured as a Barack Obama Summer 2023 read, and recently optioned for the screen by [...] read more

Grief takes permanent residency in our hearts. A houseguest that never leaves. In the latest episode of Why Fathers Cr y, Kwame Alexander goes deep on the experience of losing his own mother, in a candid conversation with his longtime advisor and dear friend John Haynes III… who also knows this specific type of loss firsthand. As a leader of leaders and visionary to visionaries, John is a master in the art of understanding people. With over 25 years of Human Resources expertise in global enterprises, including his current role as Vice President HR Business [...] read more

No one knows love quite like poets, and when you bring two acclaimed versifiers together for a raw and deeply personal discussion on the topic, the result is heart-opening and heart-mending magic. In the latest episode of Why Fathers Cry , Kwame Alexander goes all in on the woes and wonders of romantic relationships with Anis Mojgani, current Poet Laureate of Oregon, two-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam, and winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam. The author of six books of poetry, including his latest collection, The Tigers They Let Me , (Write [...] read more

How do our origins and upbringing impact the way we approach parenting? In the premiere episode of Why Fathers Cry , Kwame Alexander explores this question and more with Bryant Terry, a James Beard award-winning educator, author, artist, publisher, and, like, Kwame, father of two daughters. As someone celebrated by San Francisco Magazine as one of the 11 Smartest People in the Bay Area Food Scene as well as Fast Company’s 9 People Who Are Changing the Future of Food, Bryant knows his way around the kitchen. He also knows that what we create [...] read more