A Delaware bookseller committed to community revitalization has won the sixth Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists awarded by the Friends of Carla Gray Committee and the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation.
Claire van den Broek from Huxley and Hiro in Wilmington, Delaware, will receive a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes travel and hotel to attend Winter Institute 2025, travel and hotel to attend their 2025 regional fall tradeshow and a $1,000 stipend to fund a community outreach project.
“We are deeply grateful to have received the Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists,” said van den Broek. “The support of the Binc Foundation will enable us to run certificate programs for at-risk youth in our community, empowering future civic leaders to speak out against censorship and become advocates for free speech together with our non-profit partner Delaware Futures. Bookstores have the power to be so much more than just retail stores; they are community organizers who lift and unite the people around them. This is why they continue to thrive even in the face of so much online competition. We want people to know that every purchase at a local bookstore supports the community as a whole.”
The scholarship is intended to help a bookseller with fewer than 10 years of experience connect with other booksellers, publishers and authors, and establish the long-term relationships needed to keep the book industry thriving. The community outreach component is focused on finding new readers and ensuring access to books that improve readers’ lives while integrating bookstores even more fully into their communities.
“Bookstores are the heart of a thriving community,” said Binc Executive Director Pam French, “and supporting booksellers and encouraging their engagement in their community is critical to the future of bookselling and the larger book industry. Thank you to the Friends of Carla Gray for their continued advocacy of this endowed scholarship, and to Claire. We look forward to learning more about your project and watching its impact thanks to this annual scholarship that honors Carla’s legacy.”