The Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists gives an independent bookseller the opportunity to attend two bookselling events as well as receive a $1000 grant to make their community stronger. The community outreach component of this scholarship is focused on finding new readers and ensuring access to books that improve readers’ lives while integrating bookstores even more fully into their communities.
2023’s award will be the fourth Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists awarded by the Friends of Carla Gray Committee and the Binc Foundation. This professional development scholarship is intended to help a bookseller with fewer than five years of experience connect with other booksellers, publishers, and authors and establish the long-term relationships that keep the book industry thriving.
The winning bookseller will be awarded a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes: travel and hotel for attendance to Winter Institute 2023, travel and hotel for attendance to their 2023 regional fall tradeshow, and a stipend to fund a community outreach project.
The Friends of Carla Gray Committee said, “We’re thrilled to continue Carla Gray’s boundless celebration of books and people and book-people with this year’s scholarship. Now more than ever, it’s so important for our new booksellers to be able to meet and learn from their colleagues at in-person events. In addition, the community projects previous recipients have spearheaded have been so inspiring; we can’t wait to see what innovation the scholarship will enable for 2023. Eligible booksellers, please apply!”
“The Binc Foundation continues to celebrate Carla’s legacy and her unbound enthusiasm for books, bookstores, and the communities they come from through this wonderful scholarship and professional development opportunity,” says Pam French, Binc’s executive director. “We look forward to seeing this year’s applications and meeting the winner in person at Winter Institute in 2023.”
Interested booksellers can apply here: https://forms.gle/MXjzuZW2ReSsia3L9
The deadline to apply is October 15th, 2022 at 5pm EST.