The 2023 / 2024 Great Lakes, Great Read is made possible by the WiLS Ideas to Action Fund and by the efforts of the staff at Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Library Association and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The idea of a community read on the Great Lakes has grown organically. It was suggested by the author Dave Dempsey and has since taken shape through conversations with a group of individuals interested in advancing Great Lakes Literacy, including the Great Lakes Odyssey. Additional support provided by the Library of the Great Lakes.