Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore and Berkwood Hedge School are excited to present a unique evening with KWAME ALEXANDER along with special guest W. KAMAU BE
LL. Gather with us at First Congregational Church, Berkeley on Wednesday, May 31, at 7pm, for a night of spoken word, poetry, and music. Kwame Alexander will read from, discuss, and sign his brand new memoir Why Fathers Cry At Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Recipes, Letters, and Remembrances. Kwame will be joined in conversation by W. Kamau Bell (right). Click here to preorder a copy of Why Fathers Cry at Night.
This is a ticketed event. Your purchase of one or two seats through Eventbrite includes a copy of Why Fathers Cry at Night. This event will take place at First Congregational Church Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way.
In an intimate and non-traditional (or "new-fashioned") memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships—his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother's recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters.
Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love.
KWAME ALEXANDER is a poet, educator, producer and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 38 books, including An American Story, The Door of No Return, Becoming Muhammad Ali (co-authored with James Patterson), Rebound, which was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, and The Undefeated, the National Book Award nominee, Newbery Honor, and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. In January 2023, a Kennedy Center-commissioned national tour began for Alexander’s musical Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume. He is the writer and executive producer of The Crossover TV series, based on his Newbery-Medal winning novel of the same name, which premiered on Disney Channel and Disney+ in April 2023.
W. KAMAU BELL is a stand-up comedian, director, and executive producer. He directed and executive produced the four-part, award-winning Showtime docu-series, We Need To Talk About Cosby, which premiered at Sundance. He is the host and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. He is also the author of the NYT bestselling book Do The Work: An Antiracist Activity Book, co-written with Kate Schatz. Kamau is the ACLU Celebrity Ambassador for Racial Justice and serves on the board of directors of Donors Choose and the advisory board of Hollaback!
THIS EVENT is ticketed and pre-registration is required. Registration ends at 4:30 pm on May 31st.
BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.
DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.
WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:30 and 6:45 PM for the event.
