Kwame Alexander: Hi, I'm Kwame Alexander and I'm the author of Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets. This book is my tribute, it's my ode to all the amazing poets that inspired me, that influenced me. But not just me, also there are two amazing poets, Marjory Wentworth and Chris Colderley, who also happen to be really good friends of mine and they're a part of this book, too. So, when I decided I was gonna choose poets like Robert Frost and Langston Hughes and just talk about how cool they were and how inspiring they were to me as a writer, I wanted to involve some other writers and so I called Marjory and Chris and said, "Let's do a book together."

And so, we went to Charleston, South Carolina and we sat down and ate shrimp and grits and we talked about all the poets that influenced us, and we decided which poets we wanted to write to. And Chris chose six, and I chose six and Marjory chose six, and then we all wrote poems, either in the style of these poets or poems that were inspired by these poets or poems that pay tribute to them. One of my favorite poems, well I guess it's my favorite 'cause I wrote it, is a poem called Jazz, Jive and Jam and it's celebrating, that's right, Langston Hughes.

On Saturday my momma sang a song that sounded blue

Then daddy made his trumpet cry, I guess the rent is due

Around midnight came a band of neighbors swinging soul to soul

The landlord even cut a rug and let the good times roll

They all ate momma's waffles and her chicken cordon bleu

Then daddy passed his hat around because the rent is due

Come Sunday me and momma kneeled while Deacon Willy prayed

When we got home my daddy cheered, "Hurray, the rent's been paid."

I love the humor and the rhythm and the rhyme of Langston Hughes and I tried to mimic that. I think ultimately, that's what this book can do. It can introduce you to some really awesome poets and then, hopefully, inspire you to wanna pick up a pen and maybe mimic some of your favorite poems in this book. "Poetry," as Lucille Clifton said, "Comes out of wonder, not out of knowing." And my hope is that you all will find something wonderful in this book and perhaps wander your way to some new wonder.