ALA invites applications for “Imagining Tomorrow: Building Inclusive Futures.” This brand-new series in ALA’s Great Stories Club will feature science fiction books that explore questions of equity, identity, and alternate futures.

Library workers may apply online for grant funding until May 10, 2023 at ala.org/tools/programming/greatstories/apply.

35 libraries will be selected

Are you part of a non-library organization? Institutions without a library that provide support to under-resourced, underserved, or at-risk populations are encouraged to contact their local library and create a partnering relationship with the library as the applicant.

Check out the FAQ page or ...@ala.org?subject=GSC%20Imagining%20Tomorrow" style="color: #2199e8; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">email us with any eligibility questions.

Participating libraries will work with small groups of approximately 10 teens; provide four theme-related books for each participant to keep as their own; and convene opportunities for exploration and discussion of relevant humanities content among peers. 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.

This GSC theme asks: How can we imagine and dream of our shared futures together, alongside each other, in order to create better tomorrows? The books in this series point toward the ways that we might build shared futures while acknowledging the lessons of our origin stories. Selected libraries may choose up to four books from the following reading list:

• “Victories Greater Than Death” by Charlie Jane Anders
• “Across a Field of Starlight” by Blue Delliquanti
• "The Marrow Thieves” by Cherie Dimaline
• “The Sound of Stars” by Alechia Dow
• “War Girls” by Tochi Onyebuchi

Learn more about the benefits and requirements for selected sites.

Applications will be accepted from all types of libraries (public, school, academic, special, etc.) in the United States. Participating libraries must work in partnership with, or be located within, an organization that reaches underserved teens (e.g., alternative high school, juvenile justice facilities, tribal library, drug/alcohol rehabilitation centers, nonprofits serving teen parents, alternative high schools, agencies serving teenaged foster children and shelters serving young adults and families experiencing homelessness).

Implementation of the series is supported by a grant from a private donor.

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