Alvin Irby

Alvin Irby is an award-winning early childhood educator, social entrepreneur, TED speaker, comedian, and author. He is Founder and Chief Reading Inspirer at Barbershop Books, a national literacy nonprofit that inspires Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun. His work with Barbershop Books earned him the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize. Irby’s popular TED Talk "How to inspire every child to be a lifelong reader," has been viewed over 1 million times. Irby’s keynotes, professional development, and parent workshops invite educators, librarians, and caregivers to think deeply about and take action to inspire young learners to identify as readers and to read for fun. Organizations have described his presentations as inspiring, insightful, engaging, and humorous. Irby is passionate about helping caregivers and child-serving professionals better understand and address the systemic challenges that inhibit children’s intrinsic motivation to read and learn. Alvin Irby earned a Masters of Science in Childhood Education from Bank Street Graduate School of Education, a Masters of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, and a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from Grinnell College.