Words Create Worlds
Language represents our thinking and words create worlds. To “get to we” and move to a relational model of understanding the dynamics of differences requires changing the narrative that will lead us to new ways of knowing and being. To do that, GTW offers a curated Read, Watch, Listen List of books, media, podcasts, our annual GTW Books and our Becoming Better Humans Speaker Series—all of these resources are aligned with a contemporary understanding of differences. GTW annually amplifies the voices of writers of books, essays, screen plays, and poetry whose message is aligned with the mission, vision, and values of GTW with a prestigious Words Create Worlds Award.
Words Create Worlds Award
Congratulations to 2025 Words Create Worlds Award recipient Frederick Joseph, Author of This Thing of Ours. Joseph’s writing is timely in its presentation as a rallying cry for injustice that comes from the voices of young adults who meet the challenges of the time with real courage and as models for what it means to be an upstander.
The book’s themes elevate the power of storytelling and the written word in such a refreshing way in an era where social media often presents ideas in fragmented, biased ways that flatten the nuances inherent in these complex issues.
As a YA book with adult themes, it’s accessible across all ages and one that can and should be discussed in schools and universities, across family dinner tables, and in every kind of book club from traditional to “boozy” book clubs.
Past Award Recipients
2024
Dolly Chugh, A More Just Future
2023
Jonathan Eig, MLK: A Life
2022
Christine Pride and Jo Piazza, We Are Not Like Them
We encourage nominations of writers whose work inspires us to practice Me to We skills.
Read. Watch. Listen.
A collection of resources with the focus on learning together and building trust as the bedrock of healthy communities and inclusive, high performing organizations.
Sparking meaningful conversations that sharpen our thinking, challenge our assumptions, and foster solidarity and equity is central to our mission. Words create worlds. These resources provide us with tools to navigate the dynamics of differences, blow past stereotypes and unconscious biases and create mindsets for new ways of knowing and being.
Annual Books
Language represents our thinking and words create worlds. To “get to we” requires changing the narrative that will lead us to new ways of knowing and being. Annually, we highlight books that inspire us to turn us and them into WE in places where we live, work, serve, worship, and socialize.
Getting To We Books for 2026
These books for 2026 provide ideas and inspiration to help transform division into connection in everyday life and across communities.
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Getting To We Books for 2025
These books for 2025 provide ideas and inspiration to help transform division into connection in everyday life and across communities.
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Getting To We Books for 2024
Here are five books that inspire turning “us and them” into “we,” offering insights for how we live, work, serve, and relate to others.
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Getting To We Books for 2023
Summer reading can engage and inspire. These four books provide fresh perspectives, challenge assumptions, and encourage turning “us and them” into “we.”
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Getting To We Books for 2022
These eight books inspire us to turn “us and them” into “we.” They offer insight into inequity, history, and practical ways to create understanding.
Read MoreBecoming Better Human Speaker Series
Becoming Better Human Speaker Series is a virtual forum with national thought leaders exploring “just-in-time” topics to support understanding the interplay of current events and inclusion principles. The series are open to the public and are provided at no cost through the support of generous donors.
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