HOW IT ALL STARTED
The origin of Book-in-a-Day (BID) dates back to 2006, when Dana Davidson (Cass Technical High School, Detroit, MI) and Kwame Alexander worked under a seemingly impossible deadline—one day—to publish a collection of her AP English student's work. During the course of a single school day, Alexander and Davidson taught and coached 150 students through the entire book publishing process—from editing to cover design to dealing with book printers. By the end of the day, the students had a printer-ready digital file; and a week later, UPS delivered copies of "Unspoken," a 132-page paperback anthology of their poems, quotes, and creative non-fiction.
In 2008, Kwame Alexander formed a non-profit organization to better promote and present this innovative literacy and publishing program to schools and libraries. Piloted in three schools—in Michigan and Maryland—BID currently operates in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New York.
