“It’s a good goal to get kids reading. But, how transformative and sustainable would it be to get kids to WANT to read?”
– Kwame Alexander, Founder, One Word at a Time
We want to bring Author Study into 1,000 schools this year!
Kwame Alexander founded One Word at a Time to spark middle-grade students’ motivation to read and write. He's seen time and again, in thousands of school visits around the world, the transformative power of children meeting favorite authors.
Although there are many causes for the decline in pleasure reading, our flagship program, Author Study, can be a solution. By connecting students across the country with published authors through live, interactive virtual sessions, Author Study gives middle-grade students — kids ages 9-13, the age group most likely to be losing their relationship with reading — a spark that increases their enthusiasm for reading outside of school.
In short, we’re making reading cool and fun again! Because of Author Study, thousands of kids around the country WANT to read on their own.
We want to bring Author Study to 1,000 schools in 2026-27. That's as many as 100,000 students who can be part of this joyful reading community. Want to be part of the movement?
Your gift helps us build on our first year's momentum, nurture this joyful community, and create powerful programming that sparks deep, lifelong reading engagement.
Giving Levels and Benefits
Whether you can give $25 or $2,500, every gift makes a difference. Plus, with a donation of $100 or more, you can nominate a classroom or library to receive a FREE Author Study subscription. Donations of $1,000 or more can nominate an entire school!
Year 1 Impact
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Author Study 2025-26 reached over 55,000 students in nearly 400 schools.
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Our September 2025 Literacy Pep Rally reached almost 80,000 students!
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Participating educators reported a 42% increase in reading motivation across the year. That's HUGE!
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Educators saw more library loans, requests for books in new genres, conversations about books in the hallways, and our favorite -- kids writing poetry on their own.
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95% of participating educators surveyed said they'd recommend Author Study to a colleague.
See this year's Author Study schedule, sign up for our free Literacy Pep Rally, and learn more about One Word at a Time's efforts to engage students in the joys of reading:
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THANK YOU TO OUR
2026 MAJOR DONORS
Julia Quinn
