The Broadway Comedy Club

Alvin Irby

Bio

Alvin Irby is a former kindergarten teacher turned award-winning social entrepreneur, international speaker, comedian, and author. He is Founder and Chief Reading Inspirer at Barbershop Books, a national literacy organization that inspires Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun. His work connecting reading to male-centered spaces and involving men in boys’ early reading experiences 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. As a stand up comedian, Irby's fresh perspective and smart brand of humor shine through in his comedy album "Really Dense." His clever social commentary and funny observations have not gone unnoticed. Irby won the Clean Comedy Showcase at the 2019 San Diego Comedy Festival and won 2nd place at NYC’s 2019 Laughing Devil Comedy Festival. One of the highlights of Irby’s comedy career was being selected as a 2016 national finalist for NBCUniversal’s StandUp NBC competition and performing at the legendary Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles.

Credits

NBC, TED