Surf's Up

Kwame Alexander is a poet, an educator, a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books, and recipient of the Newbery Medal for his novel The Crossover. The founder of two organizations, Book-in-a-Day and LEAP for Ghana, he regularly travels the world as a literacy advocate and expert. Kwame has owned several publishing companies, written for stage and TV (TLC’s “Hip Hop Harry”), recorded a CD, produced jazz and book festivals, hosted a radio show, and taught high school English. In 2015, Kwame served as Bank Street College of Education’s first writer-in-residence.

Daniel Miyares is an author and illustrator of stories for children. He grew up in the foothills of South Carolina before studying at Ringling College of Art and Design. After graduating with a BFA in illustration, he headed west to Kansas City, where he lives with his wife and their two children. He has collaborated with a number of clients, including Hallmark Cards, Simon & Schuster, Charlesbridge Publishing, Imagine Books, The New York Times, National Geographic, Spider magazine, Ladybug magazine, and The Kansas City Star.