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Join Kwame for live, virtual author visits throughout the year

Kwame Alexander reading in a video window with an active chat happening next to it

2024-25 All-Star Author Study Line-up

Welcome back to another fantastic year in Kwame's virtual classroom. Students will love this all-star guest author line-up for our Author Study events -- some of Kwame's favorite authors and friends!

  • October 29 - Jason Reynolds
  • December 10 - Mo Willems
  • February 3 - Tracey Baptiste & Caroline Starr Rose
  • April 22 - Jasmine Warga & Alicia D. Williams

See full descriptions and links to registration below. Find registration and pricing info toward the bottom of the page.

Learn how Author Study supports student literacy standards and learning objectives.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Author Study October

Tue, Oct 29, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guest Jason Reynolds

Kwame teams up with his friend Jason Reynolds to teach young readers and writers about generating ideas in writing – and more.

This event focuses on idea generation in writing. Students will hear Kwame read from his new book, Black Star, then learn a strategy for idea generation in a brief writing craft lesson. Kwame then turns attention to award-winning, highly acclaimed author Jason Reynolds for a conversation about his creative process as an author, poet and podcaster. Students will hear Jason and Kwame discuss where their ideas come from, how they know when it's time to pursue a writing idea (and when to walk away), and other tidbits kids can apply to their own writing practice. The 45-minute virtual session wraps with a live Q&A session.

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

Register HERE!

Beanstack Logo
The October 29 Author Study is sponsored by Beanstack, the leading solution for motivating people to read. Instead of a quiz-based approach, Beanstack uses proven gamification and modern reading accountability tools to motivate students to read and grow a school district’s reading culture.

Author Study December

Tue, Dec 10, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guest Mo Willems

Join Kwame and iconic children’s book author Mo Willems to learn about developing strong characters with words and illustrations.

Students will hear Kwame read from his book, Acoustic Rooster, then learn a strategy for creating strong characters in a brief craft lesson. They’ll then learn from Kwame and Mo in a conversation about Mo’s approach to character as an author, illustrator, animator and playwright. The 45-minute virtual author visit ends with a live Q&A session, in which Kwame answers questions from children in the chat.

Register HERE!

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

Author Study February

Mon, Feb 3, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guests Tracey Baptiste and Caroline Starr Rose

Imagine what students can learn about the power of revision from three prolific and acclaimed authors in a virtual author visit!

First, students hear Kwame will read from one of his recent books, highlighting how his own revision process makes his work shine. Then Kwame will teach a brief writing craft lesson focused on revising and editing. Next, Students will learn from a conversation between Kwame, Tracey, and Caroline about how revising and editing differ, and about these magical authors’ tricks and tips to the revision process. Our 45-minute virtual author visit concludes with a live Q&A, where students get to ask Kwame whatever is on their minds.

Register HERE!

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

Author Study April

Tue, Apr 22, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guests Jasmine Warga and Alicia D. Williams

It’s National Poetry Month! Let these three superstar poets show students how poetry can be a starting point for other forms of writing.

Kwame will demonstrate the magic of poetry by reading to students from his award-winning classic, The Crossover. In a brief craft lesson taught by Kwame, students will learn how poetry can be a jump-off point for other writing. Then, students will learn from Jasmine, Alicia, and Kwame in conversation about their poetry and the importance of making our writing public by publishing or performing it. This one-of-a-kind virtual author visit ends with a live Q&A session.

Register HERE!

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

More Information

All Author Study virtual events will start at 1:00pm Eastern time / 10:00am Pacific time and run for 45 minutes.

Pricing:

General Registrations (Each event requires a registration)

$375 single registration or two registrations for $650

Title 1 and Homeschoolers (Each event requires a registration)

$250 single registration or two registrations for $400

Registration Access:

Each registration provides access through a unique URL and passcode as a single log-in to the virtual livestream, which can be used by one device for viewing in a single classroom or library or broadcast to a school-wide assembly with students gathered in the same location. The login cannot be used by multiple devices concurrently. However, if your school or organization has the capability to livestream internally, to multiple classrooms or locations from one device, you may use a single login that way.

Email us directly for special group registration discounts.

Sign up here for Kwame’s newsletter to receive updates about all events, and watch for announcements on Kwame’s social media channels, too!