Derrick Barnes is a three-time NY Times Bestselling author of over twenty ground breaking, multi-award-winning children’s books such as CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, I AM EVERY GOOD THING, THE KING OF KINDERGARTEN, THE QUEEN OF KINDERGARTEN, VICTORY. STAND!, LIKE LAVA IN MY VEINS, SEVEN MILLION STEPS, and THE INCREDIBLY HUMAN HENSON BLAYZE.

His work has made him a National Book Award Finalist, a Newbery Honoree, three-time Coretta Scott King Honoree, and the only two-time Kirkus Prize winning author. He has earned the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, an Ezra Jack Keats Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, and a Jane Addams Honor Award.

Mr. Barnes is a proud native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of Jackson State University. He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Dr. Tinka Barnes. They are the parents of four amazing sons.

School Visit Presentations 

Audience: PK-12th grade (45-60min per session) – No more than three presentations in a day.

Derrick tailors his presentations to the various grade levels. He shares his journey growing up in Kansas City, MO in a single parent household, how he became a writer and why the fifth grade was so pivotal for helping to mold what kind of writer/man he is today. He likes to cover the importance of reading and writing, tips on how to become an award-winning writer, and reading from the selected titles (based on grade level/age group).

Keynotes

The Story Behind the Stories: The Inspiration that Helped Derrick Pen His Top Five Titles

One of the most asked questions during presentations is, “How did you come up with the idea for that book?” Derrick shares the origins of his most popular, award winning, chart topping titles (The Kindergarten companion books, Crown, I Am Every Good Thing, Ruby and the Booker Boys series. Whether it be from a conversation with one of his four sons, or addressing a social issue, all of his ideas are rooted in reality and filling a void.

It’ll Only Take One Book: How Derrick’s Ninth Title Changed his Career and his Life Forever

In 2017, Derrick’s ninth book and his first picture book was published by a house on the outside of Chicago that was most known for publishing award winning autobiographies and cookbooks than they were children’s books. Plus, he was on the verge of deciding if his career had gone as far as it could go. But that ninth title, Crown: An Ode To The Fresh Cut became not only an enormous hit, the book that kicked the door open for him, but is quite possibly the most decorated children’s book ever. This is a story about resilience, about faith and the support of loved ones that inspire you to never give up.

Lyrics and Langston-The Works of Wonder and Hughes that Sparked Derrick’s Writing Career

“What were some of your favorite books growing up?” Who were your favorite authors as a kid?” Derrick gets asked those questions all of the time. And as cool as it might sound to roll off all of the classics like Of Mice and Men, A Wrinkle In Time, Hatchet or Bridge To Terabithia—his response always leads back to music or poetry. Derrick grew up in a very musical household, where gospel, R &B, blues, jazz and hip-hop played around the clock. But no one’s music and lyrics moved him like that of Stevie Wonder. Then he discovered the work of Langston Hughes in the fifth grade, which equally changed his life forever. He wanted to someday, make people feel the same way those lyrics and those stanzas made him feel. He wanted to weave his stories and characters together with soul, with passion, and the most vibrant and descriptive emotions that he heard and read in Ribbon In The Sky or I Too Am America. Derrick compares and contrasts some of his favorite songs and poems by these two geniuses with his work to show their lasting influence on his writing.

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