Resources & Funding for Partners

Become a Program Partner with One Maryland One Book and receive reading guides, bookmarks, posters, and a chance for program funding.

1. Sign up!

The deal is simple: if you’ll put on a program themed to What Storm, What Thunder, we’ll send you a batch of books. Fill out our Program Partner Form to sign up.

2. Distribute and promote!

Get the book to your audiences! Remind them when and where the event will take place. Be sure to get your event on our calendar as well, along with many other OMOB events happening across the state.

3. Discuss, engage, and learn!

Take in the truly “novel” experience of connecting with members in your community over the shared experience of reading the same book. There’s nothing else like it — and the diversity of perspectives and experiences each brings broaden what we take away from the page and each other.

Sign up to be Program Partner!

Want to funding for your programs?

***Deadline Extended to Wednesday, June 26.***

Our funding application for 2024 is open! 

Maryland Humanities is making funds up to $500 available to foster creative programming for OMOB around the state. Maryland libraries, nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and secondary and postsecondary schools are eligible to apply.

These funds are for creation of any free, public event that brings together an audience in your community in an interactive, participatory space, with focus on the themes, subject matter, and contexts of the selected book for 2024, What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J. A. Chancy.

In keeping with our strategic plan, we seek to support programs and events that:

  • Prioritize equity, access, and inclusion.
  • Connect with underrepresented or marginalized audiences.
  • Use innovative strategies, digital technologies, and experiential learning.
  • Foster community engagement.

These funds are not intended to expand or start up additional, traditional book clubs. Although funding can only be awarded to one applicant per application, applicants are encouraged to partner with other organizations.

The application deadline is 5:00 pm Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

To apply, please first see our application guidelines.

You can also use our Sample Budget Form, or create your own.

You can fill out our application form either through 1) an online form or 2) download a copy of the application and email it to adesai@mdhumanities.org.

1. Apply Online
2. Download PDF Application

Promotional Materials

Find images and language to use in your program promotion, including book cover, author bio, sponsor logos, and more.

Click Here for the Partner Package

Guides & Materials

Every year we work with educators and partners to bring you relevant information to enhance your reading of the One Maryland One Book. We produce a Reader’s Guide, Teacher’s Guide, and a Community Partner’s Toolkit.

Our Community Partner Toolkit contains information about the book, its context, and the author. It also contains a list of possible topics, themes, and activities for your programs, as well as resources and guides for structuring and planning your event.

Guides for our 2024 book will be posted soon.

Community Partner Toolkit

Keep the conversation going with a book club

We love to hear about great conversations and stories of all the interesting book-related programs you attended. It’s not unusual for One Maryland One Book conversations to inspire participants to start a new book club. If you are interested in starting a book club, we recommend that you take a peek at the I love libraries website.

Want discussion questions or other materials to help get the conversation rolling? Contact Aditya Desai.

 

  • “[One Maryland One Book taught me that] these types of book discussions that include diverse populations across the state open necessary dialogues to help solve problems. We need to have many more.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “I had two students participate who told me they’ve never finished a book before and they finished this one and want to read more!”

    ​One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “We had our best attendance, ever, for a book discussion, in the seven years I’ve been here.”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 participant

  • “One student who has been held back several years and suffers from emotional disorders spent several minutes asking One Maryland One Book [author Daniel James Brown] questions. He very patiently listened and answered each question. He then signed her book: ‘Write with your heart not your head.’ To watch this interaction was very touching.”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “[One Maryland One Book is] excellent! I come to as many of the One Maryland One Book events and will continue to do so—always pleased!”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “[One Maryland One Book] is wonderful; enlightening, explorative, innovative, [and] educational.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “My students have been removed from their home schools. Right away, they made comments about the diction of the text, how it seemed realistic to them and they pointed out words they would have changed. We talked about word choice, slang, etc. I had 2 instances where students were excited to see me because they had events similar to the book happen to them and they needed to tell someone. They want to know how to change things. […] These kids typically failed English class or were chronic non-attenders or were removed before they came here. They are excited about reading a book! Teacher librarian win!”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “I distributed copies of the book and we engaged in an afterschool discussion which included students and staff. Everyone who participated was so engaged that our 45 minute planned discussion ended up stretching into an hour and a half!”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “The OMOB 2014 selection seemed to touch the hearts of so many teachers and students. Everyone who read the story was in awe of the struggles, the will to survive, and then the motivation to write the memoir. The Distance Between Us created such an impact on each reader that s/he handed the book to someone with the request, “you must read this story!” Plus, the selection was inter-disciplinary and ‘captured’ students in all grade and academic levels. Renya Grande captivated the readers who, “couldn’t put the book down.” It is one of the best selections. Thank you!!”

    ​One Maryland One Book 2014 teacher

  • “What a discussion! That what’s needed in every town, city, and every age group.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “A sophomore on our school’s state-champ runner-up varsity football team was so taken by Joe’s story of the sophomore year on the boat that he got his dad (the coach) and several members of his team to read the book even though they weren’t assigned it in class. Another student described a discussion she got into with her math teacher after school about the relevance of the English curriculum and used her experience with Brown’s work and the field trip to convince her teacher that humanities are just as important as STEM. Great stuff!”

    ​One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “[One Maryland One Book] taught me how much we need to talk and listen to one another.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “The discussion of the [2015 One Maryland One] book could not have been better. Everyone had a particular part of the story that touched them. One of the newcomers was an experienced rower and gave us wonderful insight into the physical and spiritual aspects of the sport. It is the first time in my ten years with this group that everyone loved the book.”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 participant

  • “I completed the book club with 22 students, all of them on the JV football team – so not your stereotypical group of book club attendees. On the last day of our book club experience I asked students for some feedback and also asked if they would be interested in participating in another book club. Nearly all of them said that this was the first time they had ever participated in a book club, and a few said it was the first time they had actually read an entire book. I keep hearing back from them, too, [asking] ‘When is the next book club starting up?’. The discussions we had were powerful and meaningful–this was truly one of the most moving experiences I have had as an educator.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “[One Maryland One Book] brings cross curricular teachers together to the library to read, discuss topics and social issues in the book. It’s a way for students to read good books without the pressure of an assignment.”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher
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