Created to bridge the gap between historically underrepresented readers and writers, the Voices Collection endeavors to offer something for everyone, regardless of color, class, gender, belief, or ability. With 400 titles and growing, the books in this collection offer a balance between fiction and non-fiction, youth and adult.

Imagined and funded by local author and longtime library patron, Holly Hubbard Preston, the collection will serve as a springboard for future programming and further book acquisitions—all with the aim of fostering broader community representation and understanding. “I imagine the Voices collection being a mirror for some readers and a window for others,” said Preston who first came up with the idea for the collection while attending a literary conference in Brooklyn, New York, in September 2019. “For two straight days I listened to talented writers from every walk of life, sharing compelling stories I’d never really seen reflected on bookshelves anywhere.” Preston, who raised three readers in St. Helena, went home determined to find a way to connect the community with the underrepresented stories and voices she’d heard at the conference.