About this Event
About the Event:
Award-winning and bestselling author Kwame Alexander is celebrating his iconic novel, The Crossover. Join us for a special panel formed by Marita Golden, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Hena Khan.
A minimum of one ticket purchase, which includes a copy of the paperback of The Crossover per person, is required to join the event.
The Meet & Greet experience and signing opportunity will happen after the presentation.
Limited quantity of the books will be available, so get yours today!
About the Book:
Quiet Josh and extrovert JB are as opposite as twins can be, while working together seamlessly on the basketball court. But a new romance and a family illness threaten their fraternal bond in this award-winning novel in powerful verse. Will the two brothers be able to mend their bond for both the team and family?
About the Author:
Kwame Alexander is an Emmy® Award-winning producer, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 45 books, including Why Fathers Cry at Night, Black Star, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book, J and K, an illustrated novel he penned with Jerry Craft, the motivational primer for graduates, creatives and professionals entitled Say Yes andThe Crossover, his Newbery Medal-winning novel turned Disney+ TV series. He is also the executive producer Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band and Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams, a PBS KIDS special and serires of shorts produced by GBH Kids based on his beloved children's book of the same name. He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world, including Ghana, West Africa, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. A recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award, Kwame is also the Artistic Director of Literary Arts for the Chautaqua (pronounced Shuh-Tah-Kwuh) Institution and the founder of the literacy non-profit One Word at a Time.
About the Panel:
Marita Golden is an award-winning author and educator who graduated from American University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She has taught creative writing at George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Johns Hopkins University, and others. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence, and The Root.
Golden has lectured internationally and served as Writer-in-Residence at multiple institutions. Her honors include the Barnes and Noble Writers for Writers Award and induction into the International Literary Hall of Fame of Writers of African Descent.
A passionate literary activist, she co-founded the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, which has supported Black writers for over 30 years.
E. Ethelbert Miller is a poet, literary activist, and memoirist. He earned a BA in African American Studies from Howard University, where he also directed the African American Studies Resource Center. His poetry collections include If God Invented Baseball and When Your Wife Has Tommy John Surgery, and his memoirs include Fathering Words and The 5th Inning.
Miller has edited several acclaimed anthologies and serves as Associate Editor for The American Book Review. He’s held residencies at George Mason University and Emory & Henry College. His numerous honors include a PEN Oakland Award, a Columbia Merit Award, a 2020 congressional citation, and a 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from Furious Flower.
In 2023, he was a Grammy Nominee Finalist for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.
Hena Khan is an award-winning author who has been writing children’s books for over 20 years, often highlighting Pakistani American and Muslim characters. She works across multiple formats, including picture books, middle grade novels, graphic novels, and pick-your-path adventures. Her bestselling titles include Amina’s Voice, More to the Story, and the Zayd Saleem: Chasing the Dream, Zara’s Rules, and Super You! series.
Her picture books, such as Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns and Under My Hijab, are widely acclaimed. Drawing from her own experiences, her stories focus on culture, community, friendship, and family.
Hena holds an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University and has served on the board of We Need Diverse Books. She is a member of the Children’s Book Guild of DC and lives in Rockville, Maryland.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Planet Word, 925 13th Street Northwest, Washington, United States
USD 13.22
