William Alexander, Cuban-American science fiction and fantasy author, won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for his first novel, Goblin Secrets (2012), about a boy’s search for his missing brother in a steampunk fairy tale world. 

In praise, the late Ursula K. Le Guin said, "I wish I could have read it when I was eleven.” 

Alexander’s debut science fiction novel for adults is Sunward, a finalist for the 2026 Philip K. Dick Award, and a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. The new novel follows the story of a human space traveler charged with mentoring “baby bots,” juvenile AI who are developmentally in their teens, training them how to interact within society, and essentially becoming their foster mom.
 
Cosponsored by the AI & Society College and Research Center, UAlbany’s Writing & Critical Inquiry Program (WCI), and the Honors College.