2021 TALK STORY GRANT AVAILABLE Applications being accepted for American Indian, Asian, & Pacific Islander programs Are you interested in introducing a program that celebrates American Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islander cultures in your library or community organization? The American Indian Library Association (AILA) and the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) are now accepting applications for the 'Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture' grant. Talk Story<http://talkstorytogether.org/> is a literacy program that caters to American Indian, Asian, and Pacific Islander families, celebrating their stories through books, storytelling, and art. Once again, AILA and APALA have partnered on this grant program to allocate funding to libraries and community organizations to help them implement Talk Story programs. The 2021 Talk Story Grant is funded through the generous support of Toyota California Community Foundation. Two grant winners for each organization will receive $750 to fund a program that meets the criteria of the grant. Planned programs can be in person or virtual. "Cultural sharing is a valued custom in Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian cultures," said Amy Breslin, Co-Chair of the Talk Story grant. "This grant allows the opportunity for celebrating our history and traditions and building partnerships in our communities." Past grant winners have included language programs, early childhood literacy, youth identity development, and a variety of arts programming including dance, music, and writing. "There is a lot of room for creativity in this grant," said Angela Thornton, Co-Chair of the Talk Story program. "We want people to explore partnerships in their communities and see what they can create." Applications are due by April 1, 2021. Eligibility details and past winners can be found at www.talkstorytogether.org/grants<http://talkstorytogether.org/grants>. For more information, please contact: Amy Breslin, APALA Co-Chair: familylit@apalaweb.org<mailto:familylit@apalaweb.org> Angela Thornton, AILA Co-Chair: AILA.TalkStory@gmail.com<mailto:AILA.TalkStory@gmail.com> Cathy Lancaster Youth Services Coordinator Library of Michigan 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Lansing, MI 48915 My Pronouns: She/Her - See www.mypronouns.org<http://www.mypronouns.org/> to learn more. LancasterC5@michigan.gov<mailto:LancasterC5@michigan.gov> | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan<http://www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan> Follow us: Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/libraryofmichigan/> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/libraryofmich> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/libraryofmichigan/>