ANN ARBOR, MI — A Massachusetts bookseller committed to preventing overdoses in their community has won the seventh Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists awarded by the Friends of Carla Gray Committee and the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation.
Kaylee Tada from Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA, will receive a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes travel and hotel to attend Winter Institute 2026, travel and hotel to attend their 2026 regional fall tradeshow and a $1,000 stipend to fund a community outreach project.
“I am very excited to be receiving the Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists,” said Tada. “I believe bookstores have a unique ability to connect with individuals in a way that sets us apart from other retail establishments. Through my work I have been able to connect with our local unhoused community and am proud to center their voices in my project. Thank you to Binc for supporting the Brookline Booksmith in our quest to provide lifesaving overdose prevention resources to our community. This scholarship will allow us to collaborate with local harm reduction services to host a free overdose prevention event and distribute educational resources throughout the year. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. Receiving this scholarship means a lot to me, my store, my friends, and community members.”
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 core of a thriving community,” said Binc Executive Director Pam French, “and supporting booksellers’ 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 commitment, and congratulations to Kaylee. We look forward to learning more about your project and watching its impact thanks to this annual scholarship that honors Carla’s legacy.”