Port library gets Great Stories Club grant

The Niederkorn Library in Port Washington is one of 29 libraries nationwide to take part in the Great Stories Club, a reading and discussion program for underserved teens.

This competitive grant was provided by the American Library Association.

As part of the Great Stories Club, library staff members will work with a small group of teens to read and discuss stories that emphasize the significance of our lives in the past, present and future.

The Great Stories Club asks “How can we imagine and dream of our shared futures together, alongside each other, in order to create better tomorrows?”

Book discussions will be led by a librarian in cooperation with staff from Ozaukee Community High School.

The books to be read — curated for the theme “Imagining Tomorrow: Building Inclusive Futures” — include “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 and “War Girls” by Tochi Onyebuchi.

The books point toward the ways that teens might build shared futures while acknowledging the lessons of their origin stories. 

The library will receive a $500 programming stipend and 11 copies of each of the selected books, which will be gifted to the book club participants.

The library staff will also receive online training and an array of program resources and support.

Gatherings of the Great Stories Club at Ozaukee Community High School will begin in fall.

For more information, contact Youth Services librarian Jamie Mercer at jmercer@monarchlibraries.org.