kwame alexander

Snow, scorpions, Dr. Seuss: What Kenyan kids talked about with top U.S. kids' authors

7:38am September 17, 2023

Newbery prize winners Kwame Alexander, a poet, and Jerry Craft, an author and illustrator, went on a mission to Kenya to encourage reading. The kids learned a lot. So did the authors.

Kwame Alexander's latest crowdsourced poem explores the world through the eyes of Morning Edition listeners' pets.

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What would Fido say about you? This community poem takes pets' point of view

5:56am December 15, 2022

by Rachel Martin

We asked Morning Edition listeners to share what their pets might be thinking about. Then NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander combed through more than 700 submissions to create a community poem.

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Morning Edition asked listeners to submit poems in the form of letters to anyone of their choice. The result is this community poem titled "Love, Me."

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'Love, Me' is a community poem crowdsourced from hundreds of letters

2:21pm July 28, 2022

by Rachel Martin

Morning Edition asked readers to submit poems in the form of letters, addressed to anyone. NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander drew from the more than 600 responses to create a community poem.

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A teacher cleans a desk in a classroom during a media tour at Dorothy Eisenberg Elementary School in Las Vegas.

'Who Will Clean Out The Desks' — A crowdsourced poem in praise of teachers

5:57am May 31, 2022

by Rachel Martin

As part of teacher appreciation month, Morning Edition asked NPR's audience to write a poem about teachers who have had an impact on their lives.

A wet window with condensation set against the sun's glow

Arts

'I Wake With Wonder': A Crowdsourced Poem Of Pandemic Pain And Hope

5:06am May 28, 2021

by Rachel Martin

Poet Kwame Alexander has created a poem from submissions about the challenges of the past year and our dreams for the future. It ends with: "For through the struggle, we may hope to become stronger."

A boy holding a sign takes part in a Stop Asian Hate rally in Oakland, Calif.

'Today, I Am A Witness To Change': A Crowdsourced Poem Against Anti-Asian Hate

5:53am April 12, 2021

by Rachel Martin

NPR's resident poet Kwame Alexander created a community poem from submissions that reflected on increased violence and discrimination against Asian Americans.

Poetry Challenge: Create A List Poem That Grapples With Rise Of Anti-Asian Racism

8:23am March 31, 2021

by Casey Noenickx

Attacks against Asian Americans have increased since the coronavirus pandemic began. Tell us how you cope with this anti-Asian violence and discrimination in the form of a list poem.

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Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd at the March On Washington D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963.

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Poetry Challenge: Honor MLK By Describing How You Dream A World

7:56am January 18, 2021

by Rachel Martin

As we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Morning Edition asks for you to write a poem that starts with the words "I dream a world."

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Morning Edition poet in residence Kwame Alexander on Oct. 23, 2018 in New York City.

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Kwame Alexander Offers New Poems On Race And Hope As 'Psalms And Balms' For The Soul

6:10am November 24, 2020

by Rachel Martin

In Light For The World To See: A Thousand Words On Race And Hope, Kwame Alexander writes of the killing of George Floyd, Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protests, and the election of Barack Obama.

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People react during a rally to protest the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Ga.

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'Running For Your Life': A Community Poem For Ahmaud Arbery

5:16am May 27, 2020

by Rachel Martin

For this latest community poem, NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander sifted through more than 1,000 submissions reacting to the killing of Ahmaud Abrery and created a poem that speaks with one voice.

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