Cover Reveal and Q&A: Alice Faye Duncan Discusses MLK Jr. and The Dream Builder’s Blueprint

“Dear Betsy,” the email read. “This note is good news during trying times. Did you know that Dr. King gave one of his last prophetic speeches to students in South Philadelphia at Barratt Junior High? The day was October 26, 1967.”

In point of fact, I did not know about this. Nor that author Alice Faye Duncan, who has done so many books for kids before (both fictional and informational), had a new book in which she writes about that significant day. Called The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People, the book is slated to be illustrated by none other than the illustrious E.B. Lewis and released on January 6, 2026. The description for it reads:

“A riveting found poem for kids based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Street Sweeper” speech.

Dr. King’s words are creatively interpreted in this nonfiction picture book written by acclaimed author Alice Faye Duncan, accompanied by gorgeous artwork by E. B. Lewis.

In a speech delivered in 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. provided his young audience with life lessons:

• You count.
• Black is beautiful.
• Achieve excellence.
• Make a better world.
• Believe in nonviolence.
• Keep going!

Today, award-winning author Alice Faye Duncan reinterprets King’s speech as a motivational erasure poem in The Dream Builder’s Blueprint, accompanied by spirited and inspired art by Philadelphia-born illustrator E. B. Lewis. Highlighting principles of excellence, activism, and compassion that remain relevant and necessary today, this book has a universal message that’s ideal for parents, librarians, and teachers looking for a book that distills Dr. King, principles to a level that kids can understand.

Included in the book is an author’s note that explains found poetry forms like the erasure poem and provides background information on Dr. King’s inspiring speech at Philadelphia’s Barratt Junior High School.”

Today, we are revealing the cover of this book. But first? First I had questions for Alice Faye Duncan. Questions that only she could answer:

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Betsy Bird: Alice! Thank you so much for talking to me about THE DREAM BUILDER’S BLUEPRINT today! I can say with utmost sincerity that though I’ve seen a variety of books on Dr. Martin Luther King in the past, I’ve never seen anything about his speech to students on October 26, 1967. Could you tell us a little bit about the origins of this book? How did you learn about this speech and why did you know it would make for a good book?

Alice Faye Duncan: I have been researching and writing about Dr. King for 30 years. I stay in pursuit of anecdotes about his life that will inspire young children. That was my mission in 2021 when I visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama. But at the end of the tour, there was no luck. I returned to my hotel without a lead story. To pass my remaining time in Birmingham, I read a collection of Dr. King’s speeches. It was there that I stumbled upon his message to young people, “What is Your Life’s Blueprint?” 

BB: What happened then? Tell us a little bit about your process. How do you turn a speech into a poem?

Alice: On October 26, 1967, Dr. King gave a speech to students at Barratt Junior High in South Philadelphia. He encouraged the students to plan for the future, pursue academic excellence, celebrate self, practice non-violence, and no matter the conditions around them, keep moving. It was immediately clear to me that students today need an encounter with Dr. King’s “blueprint” message. So, my challenge was to repackage and introduce his words in a way that was creative, relevant, and inspiring in the 21st Century. 

While still in Birmingham, I imagined what would happen if I transformed the speech to make an erasure poem. An erasure poem is found poetry that takes an original document and eliminates chunks of text in sequential order to make a new creation. Dr. King’s blueprint speech includes 1,765 words. When I returned home to Memphis, I scanned and printed the speech on poster paper. With typing fluid, I reduced the speech to 277 words. As I removed most of the text, my goal for children was to amplify the urgency for academic excellence, self-celebration, and justice. The result was my new poem, THE DREAM MAKER’S BLUEPRINT, Dr. King’s message to young people. 

BB: Oh yes! I’ve seen that done before! Monica Edinger and Lesley Younger did it for Nearer My Freedom, but that was a full nonfiction text. This is far different, and not a style we’ve seen with Martin Luther King Jr. before. You know, as a children’s librarian my first instinct is to think that there are a lot of different books about MLK out there for kids. The fact of the matter is, though, that I don’t think I’ve seen all that many in the last few years. I believe we may have seen a glut on the market previously but now people have a harder time coming up with new ways to look at his legacy and life. Could you talk a little bit about the importance of new books about Dr. King and why our kids need them so much?

Alice: When he was 39, Dr. King died in service to dismantling the evils of racism, poverty, and war. At the time of his assassination, racism, poverty, and war did not die. These triple evils continue to erode the fragile remains of American democracy. So, the freedom movement continues and young people in American classrooms will be the new freedom fighters. As the survival of democracy rests on their shoulders, young people need a steady flow of new books that illustrate profiles, principles, and the power of nonviolent social action. Dr. King’s short life abounds with untold stories like that. It is my opinion that it will take writers across many centuries to exhaust the impact of his fortitude, faith, and oratorical fervor. 

BB: To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time you’ve been paired with E.B. Lewis. And looking into his other works, I don’t know that he’s ever done a book on Dr. King before. How did you feel about this pairing and what are your thoughts on the end result?

Alice: When I received the opportunity to write about Dr. King’s Philadelphia speech, I asked my editor, Carolyn Yoder, to choose an illustrator connected with the city. As I was Black and from the American South like Dr. King, it seemed to me that my collaborator should be someone who was Black and had lived an urban experience like the Philly students at Barratt Junior High. E.B. Lewis was my answer. The award-winning artist was raised in Philadelphia during the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movement. It seems providential and perfect to collaborate with him on this very special book. Like the text, the art is spare, inspiring, and urgent. Collectively, the art and text converge as a call to action. KEEP MOVING.

BB: That makes perfect sense. Finally, what are you working on next?

Alice: My book for 2027 is an untold Juneteenth story about Mississippi blues legend, Robert Leroy Johnson. The title is ROBERT JOHNSON’S JUNETEENTH JOY. The illustrator is Rudy Gutierrez. Our book debunks the myth that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for blues verve. Children will also learn that it was on Juneteenth Day (1937) that Robert Johnson recorded three of his last known blues compositions. Johnson’s blues life is a celebration of personal agency, resistance to injustice, and the healing power of music. During these  trying times, his story is good news for the heart, soul, and dancing feet. 

Visit me. Learn more about my books at www.alicefayeduncan.com 

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Now we will get to the cover reveal, don’t you worry, but we have an extra added treat today. Alice is allowing me to post her book’s erasure poem activity that appears in her book. Consider it a perfect accompaniment for any poetry unit:

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Write Your Own Erasure Poem

Erasure poems are a form of found poetry, where the words are drawn directly from a longer
existing text like a newspaper article, novel, or speech. Using ink, paint, pencil, or correction fluid, the poet erases various words in their original order to either enhance the source’s meaning, create a contradiction, or add a humorous, nonsensical effect. Keep in mind that the power of poetry is its ability to express meaning in a few words. Erasure poetry amplifies this power. Let’s get started.

1. Pick a portion of a newspaper or magazine article, speech, or novel.
2. Scan the portions and print 4 to 5 copies for this poetry activity.
3. Read your selected material many times to determine the message you want to express.
4. Using ink, paint, or correction fluid, erase various words to form your poem.
5. Make sure to erase at least 50 percent of the selected text.
6. Edit and refine your erasure poem on spare copies of the text.
7. Decorate your final poem with illustrations or collage.
8. Share your poem with others.

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Fantastic. And now, of course, the cover itself:

Thank you again, Alice. The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People is, as I said, on shelves January 6, 2026. It will be available for Dr. King’s 2026 birthday celebration, so start thinking of how to prepare now!

Filed under: Cover Reveal, Interviews