CABS-Minnesota, the annual book school maintained by the Antiquarian Book School Foundation, is now accepting applications for its annual Diverse Voices Fellow program. Now in its second year, the fellowship is designed to enable more minority applicants the opportunity to learn about the bookselling field from a group of experienced experts. Bookselling traditionally has not been a particularly diverse field but no field can prosper if most people do not believe there are opportunities available to them. However, those who wish to apply must do so quickly as the deadline for applications is November 6.

 

Eligible minorities include U.S. people of color, including Black, Brown, Asian, Latin, and Indigenous, LGBTQ+ people encompassing the various shades of that rainbow, women, people with disabilities, and those from a low income background. CABS is looking for early or mid-career booksellers or those with a strong interest in entering the trade. It is also open to library, museum, and archive professionals as well as private collectors and those in the book arts field who wish to learn more about bookselling. Previous fellowship applicants are welcome to apply, as are those who have attended the school in the past though some preference is given to those who have never had the opportunity.

 

The fellowship will provide for all costs of the program as well as the cost of travel, lodging, and meals at the events. The benefits of the school are numerous. It will begin with various virtual activities including a reception with the CABS-Minnesota faculty, board, and alumni, a one-on-one meeting with a curriculum coordinator to discuss the fellow's goals, and a chance to meet other fellows and participate in orientation. Next, they will get to participate in a custom-designed two-day field trip to Atlanta in the spring of 2023. Then there is the final week-long seminar scheduled for July 9-15, 2023, in Minnesota. Near the conclusion fellows will get to participate in a final project, such as creating a sales catalogue or selling books at a virtual fair.

 

The winners of the inaugural fellowships were booksellers Jaime Harker, Warren Lee, Katie Mitchell, Michelle Walton, and collector Nahid Khan. CABS-Minnesota Director Lorne Bair observed, “the inaugural Fellows were an impressive group, and we deeply enjoyed working with them. We look forward to selecting another talented cohort for the 2023 fellowship, and we encourage all individuals with an interest in learning about used and rare bookselling to apply.” Five more fellowships will be awarded for 2023.

 

You can learn all about the diverse fellowships, the school, and how to apply at the following link: bookseminars.com/fellowship.php