The APALA/AILA Family Literacy Focus Committee is pleased to award a $500 grant to each of the following institutions to host Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture programming. The 2025 APALA/AILA Talk Story Grant recipients are:
Farrington High School (Hawaii) will provide students with Samoan books and writing resources so they can immerse themselves in their native language and create their own cultural narratives. In addition, funding will support cultural advisors specializing in traditional arts such as siapo (bark cloth printing), lalaga (weaving), and tufuga tā tatau (tattooing), ensuring that students gain hands-on experience in ancestral practices. These experts will guide students through workshops that reinforce language skills while honoring Samoan craftsmanship. Funds will also cover transportation costs to Papahana Kuaola, where students will work directly with the land and learn the importance of sustainability in alignment with Samoan values.
Women of Wai’anae (Hawaii) will collaborate with Leeward Community College’s Waiʻanae Moku campus on the “Waiʻanae Keiki Summer Reading Day,” scheduled for Summer 2025. This initiative aims to foster family literacy, cultural engagement, and intergenerational learning among the Waiʻanae community. The event will invite students from the Waiʻanae Moku campus, many of whom are non-traditional students balancing academics with parenting responsibilities, to participate in a day dedicated to storytelling, cultural enrichment, and community bonding.
Frankford Public Library (Delaware) will host a program entitled the Delaware First Nation Tales. It is planned to be part of the library’s summer programming. An Indigenous storyteller, who has presented at the Frankford Library before and is well known within the community, will provide monthly programs to participants. The goal is to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the Delaware First Nation tribes (Nanticoke and Lenape).
Hortonville Public Library (Wisconsin) will host a local presenter from the Oneida Nation to present on the history and culture, both past and present as well as share her familial and tribal stories with our community. Many of their patrons consist of young families and guardians checking out books for children that are just starting out or are learning how to read. The collection development funding provided by the grant will help strengthen their collection and improve cultural awareness in the area.
Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture is a family literacy program that reaches out to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) families and their intergenerational community members. Talk Story celebrates and affirms Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian intersectionalities through books, oral traditions, art, and more to provide interactive and enriching experiences. Talk Story grant funding supports library and community organization opportunities to highlight AANHPI and AIAN stories through programs, services, and collection materials. Children and families can connect to rich cultural activities through Talk Story in their homes, libraries, and communities while challenging mainstream Anglocentric literacy practices. We welcome libraries and community organizations to develop their own Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture project to serve family literacy needs.
To learn more about Talk Story programming, follow us on Instagram @talkstory_together, Facebook @talkstorytogether, or visit our website.