At The Crefeld School on Monday, December 5, 2011, Crefeld alumnus, award-winning author, filmmaker, and professor, MK Asante (along with his film crew), met with students to talk about his experience as a student at Crefeld, and to announce the MK Asante Creative Writing Scholarship. The Asante Scholarship will be available to all 9-12 grade students at The Crefeld School each spring. Asante discovered his love of creative writing while at Crefeld. In establishing this scholarship, Asante hopes to inspire the next generation of writers at the school.
MK Asante is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and professor who CNN calls "a master storyteller and major creative force." The author of three celebrated books, Asante is the recipient of the Langston Hughes Award. His latest book, It's Bigger Than Hip Hop, was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "An empowering book that moves you to action and to question status quo America." His other books are Beautiful. And Ugly Too and Like Water Running Off My Back. Asante’s fourth book, Buck, will be published by Random House in 2012. Buck will be a memoir about his youth.
An acclaimed filmmaker, Asante directed The Black Candle, a film he co-wrote with renowned poet Maya Angelou who also narrates the prize-winning film. He wrote and produced the film 500 Years Later, winner of five international film festival awards as well as the Breaking the Chains award from the United Nations. He also produced the multi award-winning film Motherland.
Asante is a graduate of The Crefeld School’s class of 2000. Asante then studied at the University of London, earned a BA from Lafayette College, and an MFA from the UCLA School of Film and Television.