Founded by award-winning poet and author Kwame Alexander, One Word at a Time is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to advance the literacy skills of children in middle grades by inspiring joyful reading and writing.

Children ages 8-13 aren’t reading for pleasure on their own time, which means comprehension, critical thinking, and overall wellbeing suffers. One Word at a Time addresses the root cause by making reading fun, engaging, and relevant. In short: One Word at a Time connects authors and students directly to make reading cool and fun!

​When reading becomes social, celebratory, and author-connected, kids are motivated to read more during their free time, which puts them on the path to becoming lifelong readers. Moreover, kids discover the power of words to express themselves, connect with others, and understand the world.

​One Word at a Time gives educators tools and support to do the important work of celebrating reading throughout the day, week, and year. And we support children’s authors who want to work with students to keep the reading-love alive.

We envision a world where every young person flourishes as a confident, skilled, and active reader and writer, supported by a collaborative community of educators, caregivers, and authors. Together, we are changing the world one word at a time.