Sheryl Cannady from the Library of Congress speaks with Kwame Alexander, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.

An acclaimed poet, novelist and children’s book author, Kwame Alexander is the author of over 20 books and the founder of two literacy organizations, Book-in-a-Day and LEAP for Ghana. His works include “He Said, She Said: A Novel,” “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band,” “Indigo Blume and the Garden City,” “And Then You Know: New and Selected Poems,” “Crush: Love Poems” and the award-winning novel “The Crossover.” Alexander has owned several publishing companies, written for stage and television, worked for the U.S. government and taught in a high school.