One Word at a Time

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One Word at a Time

Home of Author Study!

Founded by Kwame Alexander, One Word at a Time is a 501(c)(3)c nonprofit organization that connects kids, educators & authors in joyful, community-driven experiences that make reading & writing irresistibly fun.

05/06/2026

The 2026–27 Author Study lineup is HERE. 🎉
Kwame Alexander is bringing these extraordinary voices straight into your classroom:
📚 Oct 27 — James Ponti & Kwame Mbalia
📚 Dec 8 — Raina Telgemeier
📚 Feb 9 — Nic Stone
📚 Apr 6 — Daniel Nayeri

Each livestream session is 45 minutes of read-alouds, writing craft, live Q&A, and Kwame's signature energy — plus recording access for 30 days and lessons you'll use all year.
✨
Six celebrated authors. Four live, virtual sessions. All for just $119. We know you'll want your students to be there, too.
✨
NEW! Registration rates available for a single classroom or an entire school.
Details and registration link in bio or at authorstudy.com.

05/05/2026

Here's what we know about teachers:
🌞They get up before the sun and still manage to see promise and possibility in every child.
🖍 They supply crayons, tissues, celebratory high-fives, and let's-try-it-again pep talks.
🫶They carry their students in their hearts and minds long after the bell rings.

Each of us on the One Word team is a child of a teacher. We are friends, siblings, and parents of teachers. We know this work and honor it every day. We are grateful and awed by you, teachers.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day to the humans who make EVERYTHING — including us — possible. Thank you. 🍎💛

03/16/2026

You're invited to the virtual party of the year—a celebration of readers, reading, and the authors who make lasting impact.

Join us for Kwame Alexander's Wimpy-Ton Reading Ball: The One Word at a Time 2026 Virtual Gala
Sunday, April 26, 2026
5:00–6:00 PM EST

Kwame hosts an unforgettable hour with special guest honorees
👑 Julia Quinn — New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton series who brings heart, wit, and brilliant storytelling to millions of adult readers

🌈Mychal Threets — Librarian, host of Reading Rainbow, children’s author, and champion of reading joy and inclusion

🌟 Jeff Kinney — Creator of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series that continues to remind children about how fun reading can be

This isn't your typical fundraiser, y’all. This is a chance for adults, friends, and families to experience the all-out reading joy that our flagship program, Author Study, brings to children around the country.

Bonus: You only have to dress up if you want to! A virtual gala means sequins and bow ties are only necessary from the waist up. 😉

🔗Link in bio for info -- and to get your ticket today!

02/11/2026

We've been asked: "Why start a nonprofit NOW?"

Our answer: Because NOW is the best time to stand up for what we love.

We stand for joyful literacy that builds empathy over divisiveness.

We stand for kids having access to books and authors who reflect their lives, in a time when books are challenged and taken away.

We stand for the power of a good story to spark creativity, develop critical thinking, and ignite imagination – the antidote to the ubiquitous presence of AI.

Right now, we are bringing nearly 50,000+ students face-to-face with published authors – and we’re working to double that next year. The majority of the students we serve attend Title I schools and have never met authors before. And many of them were considered disengaged readers… until now.

This Valentine's week, we're asking you to stand for what you love – with us.

Monthly donors are the heartbeat of our work. Your gift—$10, $25, or $50/month—keeps us showing up for kids who need us most.

Link in bio to become a monthly supporter. ❤️
onewordcommunity.org/donate

01/28/2026

Looking forward to our February Author Study featuring the inimitable Andrea Pinkney and Karyn Parsons. PLUS - a special read-aloud from Kwame's brand-new book, THE MIGHTY MACY.

Will we see you there?
➡Register by Thursday, Jan 29, to secure your spot.
🔗Link in bio.

01/07/2026

🎉 Happy New Year! What's the ONE WORD that will guide your 2026? Choosing gives you focus, intention, and a touchstone for the whole year. Maybe it's BALANCE. Or JOY. Or GROW. Whatever word you choose, we want to hear it!

We’ll go first...
✨ Kwame Alexander's word: GRATITUDE
🦋 Tori's word: TRUST
💕 Michelle’s word: SELF-REGULATION

Now it's your turn. What's YOUR ? Let’s have a little fun with this, too.

Invite your friends and colleagues. Ask the students in your classroom for their . Write a poem about your word. Make a collage or vision board. Spread some love, and you could win a FREE Author Study for your classroom or a classroom you nominate. 📚

Here's how to play:
1 - Follow on Instagram and/or Facebook
2 - Choose your for 2026, note it in the comments below
3 - Tag 2 friends who need to join this challenge
4 - Share your own word to your Timeline or Story tagging and . (You can screenshot the template in this post and add your own word. Or, share in any creative way - just remember to tag us.)

You’ll be entered into a drawing – along with the two friends you tag – to win a FREE Author Study subscription for the 2026-27 series, for yourself or anyone you want to give it to. (We’ll be announcing next season's guest authors in February.)

[Drawing closes January 31. Winner announced by Feb 5.]

12/11/2025

Another fabulous today featuring our friend .gratz - the brilliant, funny, compassionate author of a zillion favorite books. Have you read WAR GAMES yet? I’m running to my local bookseller to grab my copy today!

Thank you, Kwame and Alan — and thank you to all the educators who make time for these magical learning sessions.
The enthusiasm you bring lights up even dark and cold December days ❤️🤩✨

12/03/2025

Hey, friends, just a quick reminder that the registration deadline is fast approaching for the next Author Study session -- featuring KWAME ALEXANDER and the one and only ALAN GRATZ -- on December 11 at 1pm ET / 10am PT.

Kwame will be
📖 reading aloud from The Door of No Return,
📝 teaching a writing lesson about how to play with pacing, and
🤩talking with Alan about All the Things -- including taking questions from kids live in the chat.

All registered attendees will receive a link to the recording and lesson handouts the day after the live session.

➡Pay-by-check registration deadline is FRIDAY, DEC. 5
➡Credit card registration deadline is TUESDAY, DEC. 9
🔗 Register at www.onewordcommunity.org/author-study-with-kwame
Or at the link in bio

12/02/2025

This , choose the power of words.

When you support One Word at a Time, you're not just funding a program. You're lighting sparks. Creating memorable moments. Changing trajectories.

You're bringing real authors into classrooms that have never had access before—rural schools, under-resourced districts, communities where children have not yet met real-life authors.

More than 35,000 students reached already this year. Thousands more waiting for their turn.

Your gift today = one author + one classroom + infinite possibilities.

A monthly gift of $10 or a one-time gift of $119 sponsors a classroom to receive Author Study with Kwame Alexander this school year.

Link in bio and comments to give!

11/25/2025

Big things are happening next Tuesday! December 2nd is and we hope you'll keep us in mind for your year-end giving.

We're talking about:
📚 Rural classrooms meeting their first real author
✨ Under-resourced schools accessing world-class literacy programming
🤩 Students discovering that reading isn't homework—it's fun!

On December 2nd, we're asking you to choose words. Choose story. Choose children. Choose educators and librarians. Choose the power of One Word at a Time.

Will you join us?
Set your reminder for .
Learn more about One Word at a Time at www.onewordcommunity.org.

11/20/2025

The countdown begins!
On December 2nd, we're joining millions around the world for —a day when generosity takes center stage and every gift matters.

At One Word at a Time, we're bringing authors and students together in a powerful way: giving kids the chance to see, hear, and interact with real writers who share their secrets, their struggles, and their inspiration.

And Giving Tuesday gives you the chance to bring the joy of reading, the power of words, and the magic of meeting real authors to classrooms that need it most.

✨Mark your calendars: December 2nd.✨

Your generosity can provide a lasting gift to thousands of children around the country who will read with joy, write with power, change the world.

Address

Washington D.C., DC

Website

http://onewordcommunity.org/, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kwame-alexanders-wimpy-ton-reading-ball-tickets-1985179440145

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