95 Great Stories Club Grants to be Awarded by the American Library Association

CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) has selected 58 U.S. libraries to receive implementation grants for the Great Stories Club (GSC), a thematic reading and discussion program that engages teens who are facing difficult challenges through literature-based library outreach programs.

In total, 95 programming grants will be awarded to the selected sites. Thirty-eight of the libraries will receive two grants to conduct programs for two GSC themes, “Deeper Than Our Skins: The Present Is a Conversation with the Past” and “Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power.” The other 20 libraries will receive a grant to implement one theme. The themes, created by scholars Maria Sachiko Cecire and Susana M. Morris, feature books that explore questions of race, equity, identity and history.

See the full list of libraries selected for "Finding Your Voice" and the full list of libraries selected for "Deeper Than Our Skins."

The grantees represent 31 states and the Northern Mariana Islands. Of the libraries selected, 42 are public, four are academic and twelve are school/K-12 libraries. School libraries participating include the Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico and the Military Magnet Academy in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Participating libraries will receive a $500 programming stipend (per theme) and work with small groups of approximately 10 teens; provide up to four theme-related books for each participant to keep as their own, as well as audiobooks—as available for each text—to use with the group and convene opportunities for exploration and discussion of relevant humanities content among peers.

Select titles from the themes include “The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo; “Anger is a Gift” by Mark Oshiro; “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates; and “Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voice” edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale.

Book discussions will be led by an experienced programming librarian, often in cooperation with staff from a partner organization or department, such as teachers and counselors. Two participating libraries from Mississippi, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Pearl Public Library, will work with the Mississippi Humanities Council to conduct their Great Stories Club programming.

Since 2006, ALA’s Great Stories Club has helped libraries engage young adults with accessible, thought-provoking literature. To learn more about the Great Stories Club, please visit ala.org/greatstories.

Implementation of both themes is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. To be alerted about future offerings from ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up to receive ALA's Programming Librarian e-newsletter.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.