Alumni Spotlight: Alvin Irby (MPA-PNP 2015)

Alvin Irby (MPA-PNP 2015), Founder and Executive Director, Barbershop Books

Alvin is the founder and executive director of Barbershop Books, a national literacy nonprofit that partners with neighborhood barbershops to help Black boys and other children develop positive reading identities. Since its founding, Barbershop Books has grown to work with hundreds of barbershops nationwide, serving tens of thousands of boys each month through community-rooted programming and innovative literacy tools. Drawing on his experience as an educator, nonprofit leader, and Wagner alumnus, Alvin’s work focuses on narrative change, child-centered design, and expanding how communities support early literacy.

 

What inspired you to start Barbershop Books, and what’s the mission that drives it?

Barbershop Books began with a chance encounter. While teaching first grade at P.S. 69 in the Bronx, I ran into one of my students in the barbershop across the street from the school. Watching him sit bored and antsy made me wish I had a children’s book to give him—but I didn’t. That moment sparked the idea for Barbershop Books, which has since grown into a national movement with more than 200 barbershop partners serving over 23,000 boys each month.

At its core, Barbershop Books exists to inspire Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun. We curate books that boys actually want to read, increase access to male reading role models, and provide strengths-based literacy training to barbers so that barbershops become positive, affirming reading spaces. By leveraging the cultural importance of barbershops in Black communities, we help reduce reading trauma and make literacy feel natural and accessible.

 

Your background includes nonprofit leadership, comedy, and children’s writing. How do these different roles and creative outlets complement each other?

My professional journey across nonprofit leadership, stand-up comedy, public speaking, and children’s writing is connected by a shared belief in humility, intention, engagement, and respect. After more than 15 years doing stand-up comedy, I learned that if you are holding the mic, it is your responsibility to earn the audience’s attention. The audience does not owe you engagement—you have to create it. I see the same dynamic in classrooms and homes, where adults hold the mic and are responsible for curating content and creating conditions that support learning, curiosity, and joy.

Above all, I want children who encounter my books or Barbershop Books programming to believe that reading can be fun, not just something adults force you to do.

 

Barbershop Books connects literacy with culture. Why is storytelling such a powerful tool for impact?

Throughout human history, some of the most effective teaching strategies have involved stories, play, and humor. At Barbershop Books, we intentionally combine these elements to make our programming and communication engaging, memorable, and impactful. The stories people share, the games they play, and the jokes they tell all contribute to culture and shape how individuals and communities make meaning.

Storytelling is also essential for narrative change. At a time when many children’s educational experiences focus on skill deficits and perceived inadequacies, storytelling allows us to center joy, curiosity, and possibility. By shifting the conversation from what children lack to who they are and who they can become as readers, we help create more affirming, child-centered literacy experiences.

 

When designing programs or picking books, what do you look for to make sure they connect with kids and spark a love of reading?

At Barbershop Books, we start by listening to children. We curate titles based on recommendations from Black boys themselves, asking them directly which books they enjoy and then purchasing and distributing those titles across our national network of neighborhood barbershop partners. Our literacy programs are designed to celebrate, amplify, and affirm the interests of Black boys and other vulnerable children by centering their voices in the reading experience.

Our approach to curation recognizes Black boys as whole individuals with diverse interests and identities. Rather than limiting book selections based on what adults assume boys should read, we make space for books that affirm the parts of Black boys that you can’t immediately see—interests, curiosities, and ways of being that emerge through conversation and observation. By centering boys’ voices, we support reading identity development and key social-emotional drivers of literacy success, including motivation, confidence, and agency.

 

How did your time at NYU Wagner shape the way you approach leadership and social change?

My experience at NYU Wagner taught me that leadership is built through relationships and practice, not just theory. As a participant in the NYU Social Sector Leadership Diversity Fellowship, I met leaders from across NYU whose perspectives challenged and expanded my thinking. Many of the relationships formed during that time—more than a decade ago—continue to support and propel my work today. Several Wagner alumni have served on Barbershop Books’ Board of Directors since its inception in 2013, and many others have contributed their expertise, networks, and financial support.

While at Wagner, I worked with fellow students to present Barbershop Books as an education policy solution at the National Public Policy Challenge at the University of Pennsylvania. Prize money from that competition became one of the organization’s first grants, and the presentation coaching we received had a lasting impact on how I communicate ideas publicly, including my 2016 TED Talk. Wagner’s emphasis on collaboration and applied learning continues to shape how I lead my team and work with partners, helping me translate my classroom experience into sustainable, community-centered social change.

 

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve through your advocacy work, and what would long-term success look like for Barbershop Books?

Over the next five years, Barbershop Books aims to partner with 800 barbershops nationwide and serve more than 90,000 boys each month. For us, long-term success is not just about growth, but about narrative change—transforming how children think about and experience reading. We want more children to see themselves as readers and to encounter literacy in ways that feel joyful, relevant, and affirming.

In response to challenges amplified during the pandemic, we co-designed Reading So Lit, a first-of-its-kind reading identity development platform for PK–3 students. The platform blends community-driven programming with emerging technology to support personalized, child-driven literacy experiences at scale. Long-term success for Barbershop Books means fewer children experiencing reading trauma, more children identifying as readers, and stronger early literacy ecosystems that prioritize children’s agency and curiosity over adult assumptions.