CALIBA’s 2026 NorCal Spring Forum: How PBC Promotes Accessibility & Representation
– by Devon Oliver, SFSU Intern

At PBC, we value stories for their ability to foster connection, encourage imagination, and create spaces where readers see themselves reflected. The California Independent Booksellers’ Alliance (CALIBA) shares these values and supports our work to expand  access to literature by connecting us with booksellers, publishers, and authors who create and  broaden access to inclusive stories. At the recent CALIBA 2026 Spring Forum, children’s books and immigrant stories were central topics of discussion highlighting the importance of access to these stories in fostering open-mindedness and understanding. 

Mac Barnett, author of Make Believe, opened the forum by discussing the power of children’s storytelling. Children’s stories foster imagination through their portrayal of fantasy worlds and creatures, encouraging young readers to imagine beyond reality. He explained that children’s books go beyond entertaining and are an essential part of how children learn, develop their imaginations, and grow into critical thinkers. But how can we support youth engagement with these stories?

An open discussion with local booksellers emphasized that creating literary spaces that are welcoming, accessible, and engaging for children–especially when these spaces often cater to adults–is essential to support the next generation of readers. Taking part in these conversations supports our efforts to curate a welcoming space and an engaging collection of literature for the youth of our community. 

Shifting the discussion, authors Aida Salazar, Bora Lee Reed, Kyle Casey Chu, and Andrew W. Shaffer spoke about their upcoming books and the importance of migrant narratives in literature. Their stories highlighted themes of belonging and identity and explored the challenges of adapting to new communities and cultures. This panel underscored the crucial role diverse stories play in ensuring that varied lived experiences and cultural identities are reflected in literature. When readers can see themselves in stories, it fosters engagement, open-minded learning, and discussion. Creating access to diverse stories is especially important to our work because of the diversity of our community and commitment to creating accessibility to literature for all. 

PBC’s membership with CALIBA supports our efforts to curate a diverse book collection, host inclusive events, and create welcoming literary spaces. Our work with CALIBA brings us into direct conversation with authors and publishers to give us early access to upcoming books, helping us shape our inventory to best reflect the interests and identities of our community. CALIBA’s events also connect us with other local booksellers, allowing us to collaborate on ways to shape our spaces and events to best serve and engage with our communities. This partnership is deeply impactful to the work PBC does to create equitable representation in and access to literature.