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The Detroiter behind a pop-up literacy initiative is branching out.
Alyce Hartman, founder and executive director of Birdie’s Bookmobile, expects to open a children’s bookstore next month at 8700 Mack Avenue on the city’s east side.
Hartman launched the bookmobile initiative in 2022, hitting the road in her van and delivering hundreds of diverse books to classrooms, after-school programs, nonprofit organizations and police precincts in Detroit. She also installed little free libraries at Nichols Elementary-Middle School, Detroit Enterprise Academy and other sites.
The new shop, which she is also calling Birdie’s Bookmobile, is geared toward students who may not have access to books at home, Hartman said.
According to Unite for Literacy, a website offering free digital picture books for students from different cultures, backgrounds and languages, Detroit is considered a book desert – a geographic area where homes are more likely to have fewer than 100 books.
Hartman said the books will be free for students who attend a school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District or any other Title I public or charter school. Families who receive SNAP benefits will also be eligible. The first 100 students who sign up will get 10 books to start and then three each month after that – parents can already fill out an interest form on the website. Students who sign up after that first 100 will get three free books per month, Hartman said.
Hartman is still finalizing plans for store hours. During the school year, she will continue to do book fairs at schools during the week, with limited hours at the store on some weeknights and Saturdays. Then, during the summer, there will be more availability at the brick-and-mortar location, she said.
Hartman will once again be seeking donations and will need volunteers to help run the store. Anyone interested should check out the website.
I talked to Hartman about her new venture, what kind of books the shop will offer and what’s next for the bookmobile.
Editor’s note: This interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.
BridgeDetroit: You’ve been doing Birdie’s Bookmobile for a few years now. What made you want to open your own bookstore?
Hartman: It’s a way to add on to what we’re doing – book access is still a top priority, or a continued priority, for our educators, families and children. We’re really putting a spin on a traditional book bank. We’re setting it up to look like and operate like a children’s bookstore. Children will be able to come in, access the books, peruse and take home the books that they’re guaranteed every month.
BridgeDetroit: How long has this been in the making?
Hartman: I would say a year because we have a warehouse space and the warehouse is just a warehouse. It’s cold, it’s dusty, it has stacks of books in boxes. But we always get requests from teachers saying, ‘Hey, can we come and get books?’ And we get requests from the community, like ‘Hey, we’ve got books that we’d love to drop off. Where can we take them?’ And (the warehouse) is really not accessible like that to them. That was kind of the initial thought; we need a place where people can come that’s visually appealing…and then it developed from there.
BridgeDetroit: Were you always interested in having the bookstore on the east side?
Hartman: I have lived here in this community (Pingree Park) for almost six years now, and I was the director of education at MACC Development for a number of years and attend Mack Avenue Community Church. As a part of that nonprofit organization, we lived in the community that we serve. I purchased a home in this community. I live in this community. I do life with people here and I wouldn’t have looked anywhere outside of my community to get a building to do this.
BridgeDetroit: What kind of books are you planning to have in the store? Do you think you’ll have some books for adults as well?
Hartman: We will have books for children from birth to the pre-K age group, all the way to young adults. We’ll have board books, chapter books and picture books. We’ll have graphic novels and we’ll have (young adult) books for some of our older students.
The majority of the store will cater to children, but we will have adult books. We don’t purchase adult books, but we do get donations. About 80% of our books used to be purchased. Now, about 50% of our books are purchased and the other 50% are books that are donated.
BridgeDetroit: Is there anything new going on with the bookmobile? Will you continue using it even when the bookstore opens?
Hartman: Our first bookmobile, we lost to a fire just one month short of being up and going for a year. Then we got another bookmobile and it was stolen. Now, just two weeks ago, we got a bookmobile from Arts and Scraps. It’s their original ScrapMobile and it’s really exciting.
And (we) absolutely (will continue the book mobile), that will never change.
We will be adding new schools to our roster during the next school year. We just added some new schools to our roster, and we are continuing to do so every week, specifically with schools that are contacting us. We might not be able to get to them every single month, but we do make sure that their students have the books that they need. We also have classroom book boxes so teachers can reach out to us. If they go on the website, they can complete a form, and we provide them with free boxes to help them build their classroom libraries as well.
BridgeDetroit: How does it feel to see the rise of independent booksellers in Detroit like 27th Letter Books and Next Chapter Books?
Hartman: I love that, because it means that we have more access to books. It means that children have more access to books. It means that families have more access to books, and it means that we’re moving closer to eradicating book deserts in our city.
As always, have a great week!
Cheers,
Micah
313 Scene
- Tony Award-nominated playwright and Detroit-born Dominique Morisseau tells the complex story of the experience of being a Black woman in America in “Confederates.” The play weaves plot threads from the past and present to explore how institutional racism and gender bias continue to shape society. One Detroit’s Chris Jordan and I recently visited the Detroit Public Theatre for a performance, where I spoke with Morisseau, director and Detroit-based playwright, poet, and professor Goldie Patrick and cast members.
- BridgeDetroit reporter Jena Brooker has news on the upcoming Cartoons & Stereo festival, which was created by Detroit music artist Ade Olaniran, also known as Stoop Lee. Sponsored by Red Bull and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the event will take place from 2-11 p.m. May 17 at Big Pink near Mt. Elliott Park and the riverfront. It will feature a pop-up skatepark, basketball dunking contest, vintage clothing market, and local food trucks.
- Anew study, conducted by BetMGM, has named Detroit one of the nation’s best cities for karaoke. Detroit ranked No. 6 for “best karaoke bars,” based on over 3,500 karaoke bar reviews on Yelp across 100 U.S. cities. The top-ranked city was Syracuse, New York, followed by Baltimore, Maryland; Des Moines, Iowa; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Riverside, California.
- Artist Sheefy McFly is back home in Detroit for his first solo exhibition in more than a year. The collection “It Was All a Dream” is currently showing at ArtClvb at NewLab at Michigan Central in Corktown. (Detroit News)
What’s Going on in the D?
- Broadway musical “Peter Pan” is coming to the Fox Theatre Tuesday-Sunday. This new adaptation of the boy who never wants to grow up is written by playwright Larissa FastHorse, directed by Emmy Award winner Lonny Price and choreography by Lorin Latarro. Tickets start at $25.
- WDIV-TV (Channel 4), along with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and Raise the Flag Detroit are hosting a 313 Day celebration 3-7 p.m. Thursday. The free event will feature music, food, comedy, games and more.
- Another event on tap to celebrate the D is the 313 Day Festival, taking place Thursday-Saturday. Organized by Platinum Professionals, the festival includes an R&B concert Thursday at the Masonic Temple, followed by a hip-hop concert Saturday with Detroit rappers Tee Grizzly, Icewear Vezzo, Peezy, Sada Baby and more. The event will conclude Saturday with an educational day with sessions on small businesses and careers in the entertainment industry. Tickets start at $49.
- The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is hosting four performances Friday-Sunday at the Detroit Opera House. The group’s 2024-25 season is celebrating the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, who died in November. Tickets begin at $30.
- Indie bookstore Alcott’s Attic is hosting a grand opening for its new location inside the Fisher Building 12 p.m. Saturday. There will be giveaways for guests and light refreshments. The shop will be open from March until August, with extended hours on theater nights.
- The Detroit St. Patrick’s Day parade is returning to Corktown at 1 p.m. Sunday. Starting at Sixth Street and Michigan Avenue, the parade includes marching, pipe and drum bands, color guard units, floats and novelty groups.
