State Library of Louisiana

Monday, October 02, 2023

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Book Festival proudly presents a plethora of poetry programs, including once again welcoming the National Student Poets participating in just one of several poetry events that will take place at the State Library of Louisiana during the festival on Saturday, October 28, in downtown Baton Rouge.

This will be the first and only appearance of the Class of 2023 student poet winners together in the country this year, each representing one of the five national regions. As a result of a collaboration built on connections made by last year's Class of 2022 young poets and the international Narrative 4 organization at last year's festival, this year's students are excited to participate in the panel with former Louisiana Poets Laureate Darrell Bourque, founding member of N4, and Mona Lisa Saloy.

"We were thrilled to feature the National Student Poets last year when the program celebrated its 10th anniversary. We're excited to welcome the program back and to host this year's class," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. "It's an honor to have a prestigious group like this come back to the Louisiana Book Festival. That speaks volumes about the quality of the festival."

Saloy will also moderate and share work from her new collection as she introduces her poet laureate successor Alison Pelegrin to the festival, an ongoing tradition and rite of passage. Pelegrin in her new role will host two panels in which she presents eleven Louisiana poets from across the state reading from their work.

Poet members of the Women's National Book Association of New Orleans will present "Supernatural Laundry – Louisianan Women Poets Engaged in Domestic Fabulism."

Back by popular demand, members of The Traveling Poetry Emporium team will create free personalized poems-to-order, composed on the spot using antique typewriters.

"We are proud of the variety we offer at the Louisiana Book Festival. The amount of poetry programs alone is a great example of that. Even some of the featured children's books are composed of charming and engaging rhyme," said Louisiana Book Festival Executive Director Jim Davis. "The day will have a fantastic showcase of homegrown talent, as well as some of the rising stars in the poetry world when we once again welcome the National Student Poets."

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers partner to present the National Student Poets, the country's highest honor for youth poets presenting original work. Five outstanding high school poets, whose work exhibits exceptional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise, are selected annually for a year of service as national poetry ambassadors.

The class of 2023 National Student Poets are Jacqueline Flores (Southeast region), Zolfo Springs, FL; Miles Hardingwood (Northeast region), Brooklyn, NY; Shangri-La Hou (Midwest region), St. Louis, MO; Kallan McKinney (Southwest region), Norman, OK; and Gabriella Miranda (West region), Salt Lake City, UT, They will be accompanied by Hannah Jones, Manager of the National Student Poets Program, and the festival is honored that Chris Wisniewski, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, will be joining them. Chapbooks of the students' work will be available free at the program, while they last, and the students will participate in an author signing afterwards.

For more information about the 2023 Louisiana Book Festival, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org.

Monday, September 25, 2023

BATON ROUGE, La. – Other Voices, Other Rooms, the debut novel of New Orleans-born writer Truman Capote, is the selection for the 2023 One Book, One Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival's popular discussion group.

The novel is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Dr. Gary Richards, who has led many previous sessions since One Book, One Festival began in 2008, returns to moderate the discussion. Participants are invited to read the same book in advance and then join the scholar-led discussion with others at the festival.

The 19th Annual Louisiana Book Festival will be held Saturday, October 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge at the Louisiana State Capitol, the State Library of Louisiana, Capitol Park Museum, and the surrounding Capitol Park area. The One Book, One Festival discussion will happen from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in Senate Committee Room E in the State Capitol.

"This is one of the most popular programs at the Louisiana Book Festival every year," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. "It's great that we're able to celebrate the anniversary of a debut novel by another of the great names in literature who is from our great state. We're also pleased that Gary Richards will be back to lead the discussion. He's a festival favorite."

Richards is a professor of English and former chair of the Department of English and Linguistics at the University of Mary Washington. This will be the 11th time he's led the One Book, One Festival discussion. An expert on southern literature and culture who previously taught at the University of New Orleans, Richards has also led One Book, One Festival discussions on Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men, John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, Capote's A Christmas Memory, and Ernest Gaines's A Gathering of Old Men, among others.

"Few novels grabbed the nation's attention in the post-war years like Other Voices, Other Rooms, and I'm delighted to return to the festival, revisit this groundbreaking novel with contemporary readers, and explore Capote making his leap from the short story to the novel," said Dr. Gary Richards.

Other Voices, Other Rooms was published in 1948. The semi-autobiographical novel of Capote's childhood focuses on a 13-year-old New Orleans boy who is sent to live with his father in rural Alabama after his mother dies. "Truman Capote's first novel is a story of almost supernatural intensity and inventiveness, an audacious foray into the mind of a sensitive boy as he seeks out the grown-up enigmas of love and death in the ghostly landscape of the deep South," notes publisher Penguin Random House.

One Book, One Festival is free and open to the public.

For complete details on the 2023 Louisiana Book Festival, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org and follow us on Facebook.

The Louisiana Center for the Book was established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994. Its mission is to stimulate public interest in reading, books, literacy, and libraries and to celebrate Louisiana's rich literary heritage. It is the official state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

Monday, September 18, 2023

BATON ROUGE, La. –The Louisiana Book Festival seeks enthusiastic volunteers to help put on the state's flagship celebration of readers, writers, and their books. The 19th annual festival needs hundreds of volunteers in a variety of capacities, including welcoming presenters, escorting authors, assisting with programs, staffing festival information booths, and more. Those interested in volunteering – whether all day or just part of the day – can find more information about the Festival's volunteer opportunities by visiting the Louisiana Book Festival Volunteer webpage and can sign up using the online form. The year's festival is Saturday, October 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"The Louisiana Book Festival is recognized as one of the best book festivals in the country. A big reason is the amazing volunteers we have year after year," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. "We always get compliments on their hospitality. We simply could not do it without them."

"It takes hundreds of people willing to volunteer to make sure the Louisiana Book Festival can happen," said State Librarian Meg Placke. "The staff of the State Library, Louisiana Center for the Book, and the Louisiana Book Festival are thankful for the countless hours our friends and neighbors have given us for almost two decades now."

Festival volunteers who register by October 16 will receive a free 2023 Louisiana Book Festival t-shirt, which features colorful artwork by Louisiana native Emily Roemer. Festival coordinators are happy to accommodate groups of friends, family, or organizations who wish to volunteer together.

The free, nationally-recognized literary event will take place in the heart of Baton Rouge in the Louisiana State Capitol, State Library of Louisiana, Capitol Park Museum, and the surrounding Capitol Park area. This year the book festival will highlight more than 200 authors and panelists discussing their books and include dozens more attractions, such as the Young Readers Pavilion, with arts and crafts, costumed characters, and authors reading to children; Teen Headquarters, with bestselling and award-winning young adult authors; an abundance of programs for adult readers; and a wide variety of book-related activities and exhibitors.

For complete details on the 2023 Louisiana Book Festival, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org and follow us on Facebook.

Celebrated authors to give master classes for aspiring writers

BATON ROUGE, La.– The Louisiana Book Festival is excited to announce the faculty for the 2023 writing workshops: André Dubus III, John Dufresne, Fatima Shaik, and Genaro Kỳ Lý Smith. The faculty includes an author whose novel was made into an Academy Award-nominated film, a recipient of the Louisiana Writer Award, and writers whose works have been recognized with an Indie Book Award and named Best American Mystery Stories.

The half-day writing workshops, known as WordShops, will be held Friday, October 27, at the State Library of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. The courses – including one on flash fiction – are designed for people who write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are open to writers of all levels of experience.

“We try to inspire the next generation of storytellers by bringing together diverse voices and perspectives during the annual WordShops,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “These workshops nurture a thriving literary community, adding to the literary heritage of Louisiana and beyond.”

“Participating in the WordShops program is a unique way to learn about the art of writing under the guidance of accomplished authors,” said Interim State Librarian Meg Placke. “Whether you are a beginner wondering how to start or an experienced writer who wants to refine your skills, these workshops will provide you with the tools and insights to elevate your storytelling ability.”

Teresa Tumminello Brader’s debut novel, Letting in Air and Light, will be featured during this year’s Louisiana Book Festival. She previously attended several WordShops and says the sessions helped her as she worked on her first book.

“Led by successful and generous writers as diverse as Rick Bragg, Julie Kane, Bill Loehfelm, T. Geronimo Johnson, and Steph Post, the workshops were not only of the highest quality, but fun too,” Brader said. “I’ve never hesitated to attend a WordShop that focuses on a genre outside my own. The insights gained from others’ writing practices are immeasurable. Even with my first book out, I wouldn’t hesitate to take another.”

Classes taught by these award-winning and bestselling authors will cover a wide range of topics, including techniques on how character development leads to a story writing itself, how to use the environment around you to write compelling short stories, how research can improve historical non-fiction writing, and how fiction techniques can be used to write poetry and prose.

The WordShops schedule includes two concurrent sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon.

• 9 a.m. – Noon
  • Flash! Writing the Very Short Story – John Dufresne
  • Bringing History Home – Fatima Shaik
•  1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Surrendering to the Mystery of Story – André Dubus III
  • What’s Good for Fiction Is Good for Poetry: Show Us, but Please Don’t Tell Us – Genaro Kỳ Lý Smith

Full WordShop descriptions, as well as faculty biographies, can be found below and on the Louisiana Book Festival WordShops webpage.

Registration for each WordShop is $50; for anyone attending two WordShops, the cost is $90. Space is limited. Registration payments are due by October 23. After that date, registration will be accepted as space allows. To register, call (225) 219-9503 or visit the WordShops webpage.

Each of the instructors will participate in the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, October 28. For more information about the Book Festival, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org and follow us on Facebook.

The Louisiana Center for the Book was established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994. Its mission is to stimulate public interest in reading, books, literacy, and libraries and to celebrate Louisiana’s rich literary heritage. It is the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

2023 Louisiana Book Festival WordShops

Friday, Oct. 27

State Library of Louisiana

Flash! Writing the Very Short Story

Presented by John Dufresne

9:00 AM – Noon

“So here’s what we’ll be doing,” says Dufrense of his workshop. “We’ll demystify the writing process, which may once have seemed intimidating. Writing is work; it’s a physical, if sedentary, activity. Writers write even when the writing’s not going well—especially when the writing’s not going well.  We’ll discuss the craft of storytelling, explore the elements and techniques of short fiction, and examine the qualities that make for vivid and compelling flash fiction.  You’ll read exemplary short-short stories that will inspire, provoke, and serve as models for your own stories. “You’ll write up a storm following the prompts and exercises.  You’ll play with found forms and invent your own.  You’ll get writing and you’ll keep writing.  You’ll learn that your characters, your settings, and your themes are out there in the world.  You’ll learn to look, to listen, to pay attention, and to notice, the fiction writer’s first job.  The act of writing itself, you’ll realize, the act of making up people you come to care about, the fun of playing with words and with worlds, is its own reward.  And the more you write, the more you’ll want to write.”  

John Dufresne is the author of two short story collections, The Way That Water Enters Stone and Johnny Too Bad,and the novels Louisiana Power & Light, Love Warps the Mind a Little (both New York Times Notable Books of the Year), Deep in the Shade of Paradise, and Requiem, Mass., as well as No Regrets, Coyote, and I Don’t Like Where This Is Going. He has written four books on writing fiction, The Lie That Tells a Truth, Is Life Like This?,Flash! Writing the Very Short Story, andStoryville!: An Illustrated Guide to Writing Fiction. He is the editor of the anthologies Blue Christmas, Everything Is Broken, and Everything’s Broken, Too and co-editor of Flash Fiction America. His short stories have twice been named Best American Mystery Stories, in 2007 and 2010. He is a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow in Fiction. He teaches Fiction Writing in the MFA program at Florida International University.

Bringing History Home

Presented by Fatima Shaik

9:00 AM – Noon

“One of the most exciting tasks of writing nonfiction is to create work that is factual and showcases your unique voice,” says Shaik. “Think of the essays of Truman Capote, James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Mark Twain, or Roxane Gay. Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson address periods in Southern history with a multitude of facts and great style. “The goal for every nonfiction writer is to provide information and entertain readers. Learning this process is not as hard as you think. “Resources for writing about history are endless. They exist in material culture, archives, museums, genealogy sites, and family documents. Once you’ve accessed the research, you must look at it through your memories and perspective. “This workshop will analyze examples of good writing, then address research and writing basics before providing the tools that will distinguish your work. With the means to tell the histories that are closest to you, their universal themes will show.”    

Fatima Shaik, the twenty-second Louisiana Writer Award recipient, is the author of seven books. Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood received the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities 2022 Book of the Year award and the American Book Award. Kirkus Reviews named Economy Hall one of the best nonfiction books of 2021. The New York Times Book Review wrote "'Economy Hall' is so inviting that the true depth of its scholarship is revealed only in its bibliography, which lists dozens of archival and other sources. Shaik’s monumental book ...is lyrical and mysterious and always captivating." Shaik has written for The Southern Review, Callaloo, Tribes, The Root, In These Times, and The New York Times. She reported for The Times-Picayune and The Miami News. Shaik is the recipient of grants from the NEH, LEH, and the John Anson Kittredge Fund. Shaik retired in 2020 as assistant professor from Saint Peter’s University where she founded its Communication program, now the Communication and Media Culture Department awarding B.A. and M.A. degrees. A former board member of The Writers Room, Shaik was an ex-officio trustee of PEN America.

Surrendering to the Mystery of Story

Presented by André Dubus III

1:00 – 4:00 PM

For writers of fiction or creative non-fiction, Dubus offers, “If I teach nothing else in my writing classes, I teach this: do not outline your novel or novella or short story or essay. Do not think out the plot, the narrative arc, the protagonist’s journey, whatever you want to call it. Instead, try to find the story through an honest excavation of the characters’ total experience of the situation in which they find themselves. Do that, and I promise the story will begin to write itself, with little need for the controlling hand of the godly, intelligent, well-read, and ambitious author. “But how, precisely, does one go about this “excavation”? And how, technically speaking, can we ignite a story into “writing itself”? Come to this workshop, and I will seek to demystify those writerly tools and skills that time and time again, if they are sharp enough, and if the writer can summon enough daily faith and nerve, can penetrate the mystery of story itself.”

Bio:

André Dubus IIIis the author of The Cage Keeper and Other Stories, Bluesman, and The New York Time bestsellers House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days, and his memoir, Townie, a #4 New York Times bestseller and “Editors’ Choice.”  His work has been included in The Best American Essays and The Best Spiritual Writing anthologies, and his novel House of Sand and Fog was a finalist for the National Book Award, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and was made into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly.  His 2014 novella collection, Dirty Love, was listed as a “Notable Book” by The Washington Post and The New York Times and named a New York Times “Editors’ Choice” and a Kirkus “Starred Best Book of 2013.”  His 2018 novel, Gone So Long, was named on many “Best Books” lists, including selection for The Boston Globe’s “Twenty Best Books of 2018” and “The Best Books of 2018, Top 100,” Amazon.  His new novel is Such Kindness (June 2023), and he has forthcoming a collection of personal essays, Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin.  Dubus has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature.  His books are published in over twenty-five languages, and he is a Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

What’s Good for Fiction Is Good for Poetry: Show Us, but Please Don’t Tell Us

Presented by Genaro Kỳ Lý Smith

1:00 – 4:00 PM

“Our natural flaw is ‘to tell’ rather than ‘show,’ to show whatever event we deem important to us—whether it uplifts us or scars us—and share it with everyone, with an audience,” observes Smith.  “Telling these stories or poems is lazy; showing takes a lot of work.  The process of showing is both daunting and frustrating. “The workshop will comprise of your writing a short prose piece (telling a story in half a page or thereabouts).  Then you will segue into what parts of your ‘telling’ we can expand ‘to show’ the incident to make the readers feel they are in the moment, the location, the scene, the experience.  I will give feedback and suggestions on the spot, and I encourage others to do so.  From there you will extract all the concrete details and whittle them down to a poem of whatever length you wish.  Here is the important part:  the excess details you extracted may produce another poem, even a body of poems. ‘Please bring a laptop, tablet, or whatever writing medium or tool of your choice." 

Genaro Kỳ Lý Smith was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam in 1968.  He earned a B.A. in English from California State University, Northridge, in 1993.  He later earned an M.A. and M.F.A. in creative writing from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA in 1999. He is the author of The Land Baron’s Sun: The Story of Lý Loc and His Seven Wives, which won the 2016 Indie Book Award in poetry.  His novel, The Land South of the Clouds, the second in the trilogy, was released in October 2016.  It took second place in 2017 for the Indie Book Award.  The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, a short story collection, followed in October 2018. Smith’s other works of poetry and fiction have been published in Crab Orchard Review, Pembroke, Gumbo: An Anthology of African American Writing, Asian American Literary Review, Xavier Review, Northridge Review, Amerasia Journal, turnrow, Scene Magazine, dis-Orient, Christmas Stories from Louisiana, Kartika Review, and Blue Lyra Review. He received the ATLAS grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents for 2013-14.  He has earned first place in the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Fellowship competition, is a recipient of both the Louisiana Division of the Arts Artist Fellowship and mini-grant, and his 2008 short story “Dailies” took second place in both the Poets & Writers Exchange Program and the Santa Fe Writers Program. He currently resides in Ruston with his wife, Robyn, and their two daughters, Layla and Naomi.  He has been teaching literature, composition, and creative writing at Louisiana Tech University since 1999.

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana is excited to announce the return of the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.

The 19th annual Louisiana Book Festival will be held 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.in downtown Baton Rouge at the Louisiana State Capitol, the State Library of Louisiana, Capitol Park Museum,and the surrounding Capitol Parkarea. The Friday before the festival, Oct. 27, will also see the return of WordShops, writing workshops with major authors as instructors. Details about the workshops will be released soon.

“We have one of the best book festivals in the country in our own backyard. The 2023 lineup is full of award-winning authors from near and far and features books highlighting all corners of this great state. We’ll also welcome some authors with their debut works," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “As always, there will be various programs for readers of different age groups. There is something for everyone.”

The 24th Louisiana Writer Award ceremony will kick-off the festival with the presentation of the award to Maurice Carlos Ruffin. The festival’s One Book One Festival celebrates the 75^th anniversary of Louisiana-born Truman Capote’s first published novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, with the ever-popular Dr. Gary Richards returning to Louisiana to lead the reader discussion.

“Over 200 authors and presenters are taking part in this year’s festival. Some are homegrown, and others have name recognition on a national level. Their works are just as varied,” said Interim State Librarian Meg Placke. “What they all havein common are amazing stories to share. We can’t wait to welcome everyone.”

This year’s books highlight multiple topics, including the real-life story of a young Baton Rouge woman who battled cancer and became the youngest American to orbit Earth, the hidden history of Louisiana’s jazz age, the little-known origins of Delta Airline’s North Louisiana origins, and the civil rights protest that saved the New Orleans Saints.

A photography book from The Historic New Orleans Collection will make its debut and one of the first books from a new Library of Congress series will be featured during the Louisiana Book Festival.

“It’s always great for us to be able to debut a book, and it’s a pleasure to introduce the public to an excellent new series. We’re thrilled to feature these titles from these two esteemed institutions,” said Jim Davis, Executive Director of the Louisiana Book Festival.

The day will also include a focus on fiction, with a panel on “grit lit,” a genre of Southern literature that focuses on the unvarnished, rougher edges of life.The panel will feature some authors making their Louisiana debut. There will also be two panels of Louisiana poets hosted by the state poet laureate and programs for children and teens.

Cooking demonstrations return, as do more than 100 exhibitor booths and tables and sponsor tents. Featured books will be available for purchase and signing, made possible by Cavalier House Books of Denham Springs. The event is free to the public.

Each year the Louisiana Book Festival selects a Louisiana artistto provide the artwork for the festival. This year, Emily Roemer, a Shreveport native and LSU graduate, created the artwork.

Roemer, who most recently worked at The New Yorker as a senior designer, said the assignment to design the artwork for the Louisiana Book Festival was a natural fit. “I’m obsessed with typography and that’s where the idea for the poster originated. I love books. I collect vintage books because of the typography they used.”

She said there are countless typefaces that were done by hand that have never been digitized. Roemer said she scoured old magazines and books and scanned in unique fonts “that don’t exist in the modern-day computer world,” putting them into the artwork for the book festival.

As for the pops of color, Roemer said that’s her personality. “I feel like I was born with an eye for color. It’s a challenge if someone wants a black-and-white logo,” she said, adding that she was excited to be asked to work on a project for her home state’s premiere book festival. “I was so excited. It’s always nice to be do something for home. I’m really excited to see the poster come out into the world.”

For more information about the 2023 Louisiana Book Festival, visit www.LouisianaBookFestival.org.

The Louisiana Center for the Book was established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994. Its mission is to stimulate public interest in reading, books, literacy, andlibraries and to celebrate Louisiana’s rich literary heritage. It is the official state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

 BATON ROUGE, La. –Entering its 24th year, the Louisiana Readers' Choice program, presented by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the Louisiana State Library, is excited to announce the 2024-2025 nominated title lists for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Since the program's first list in 1999, more than 437,000 students have read the recommended titles and voted for their favorites, reading more than 1.38 million books in the process.

 Thousands of students from elementary to high school age vote every year for their favorite books from a list of titles curated by librarians from across the state who serve on the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice and Louisiana Teen Readers’ Choice committees. Many students cast their ballots on real voting machines supplied by the Secretary of State's Voter Outreach Division.

 “The Louisiana Readers’ Choice program helps students develop a love of reading from an early age. It also sparks curiosity and imagination that will fuel their dreams and aspirations throughout their lives,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The program not only strengthens literacy skills but also helps create well-informed and engaged citizens when it comes time to vote for the winners. It’s a great introduction to the democratic process.”

The 2024-2025 Louisiana Readers' Choice nominated titles include 10 Association for Library Service to Children Notable Children’s Books, six Young Adult Library Services Association Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, five Young Adult Library Services Association Best Fiction for Young Adults selections, a Newbery Honor Book, and a National Book Award finalist. They have earned 69 starred reviews overall and were written by outstanding authors such as Ruby Bridges, R.L. Stine, Susan Hood, Amy Sarig King, V.E. Schwab, Sarah Guillory, and Ruta Sepetys.From fiction to nonfiction,picture books to novels,fantasy to romance, historical to contemporary, these carefully chosen booklists cover a variety of interests and genres, so there is something for every reader.

 “The Louisiana Readers’ Choice program is about more than reading. It’s about nurturing a lifelong love for learning and discovery,”said Interim State Librarian Meg Placke. “By getting diverse and captivating books in the hands of students, they develop critical thinking, empathy, and a broader world view. The Readers’ Choice Program teaches lessons that extend far beyond the classroom.”

The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana is the state affiliate for the National Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Its mission includes nurturing a love of reading in Louisiana’s children by motivating them to participate in the recognition of outstanding books. According to a 2022 report from the Louisiana Department of Education, only 49.6 percent of students from kindergarten to third grade read at grade level. Meanwhile, only 28 percent of fourth graders and 27 percent of eighth graders are proficient readers, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. The Louisiana Center for the Book and the State Library of Louisiana believe fostering a lifelong love of reading among Louisianans will contribute to the state's overall economic growth and quality of life.

For information about the program including this year’s nominated titles, previous winners, how to participate, and additional resources such as free bookmarks, posters, and study guides, please visit the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards Program webpage.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana has welcomed its newest library. The State Library of Louisiana formally recognized the Eunice Public Library as the 68thpublic library in the state.The recognition capped almost a year of work as the Eunice Public Library, which had operated independently since 2019, sought official status.

“It can be a tedious process for a library to earn state recognition. But the leaders of the Eunice Public Library stuck with it, and now they’ll have the full support of the State Library as they look to grow,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The citizens of Eunice already know the great things their library does. It’s only going to get better.”

“The State Library’s mission is to help build strong local libraries around the state. We are happy to answer the call to help Eunice’s library meet the state’s requirements for a public library,” said Interim State Librarian Meg Placke. “The Eunice Public Library already had a strong foundation, and we look forward to helping them as they add new services for their patrons.”

The Eunice Public Library will now be able to take advantage of State Library services, including regular staff training, technology support, and grants. Its status as an official public library will also allow it to get discounted internet service, a cost saving to taxpayers. Patrons will be able to request and borrow books from across Louisiana -- and the world -- through the Interlibrary Loan System.

“It’s the end of a long process,” Eunice Public Library Director Alison Duplechin said after the Library Board of Control’s July meeting, during which its officers were elected with the assistance of Associate State Librarian Michael Golrick.

Duplechin said the library hopes to finally add e-books and audio books to its collection, which so far only contains hard copies. Work on the interior and exterior of the library is also expected to start in the near future.

“I’m excited to see what we can offer our community,” Duplechin said.

St. Landry Parish, where Eunice is located, is the only parish in the state that does not have a parish library system. Voters in November 1965 first rejected creating a parish library. Efforts since then to create a parish library have failed.

The Opelousas and Eunice city councils, however, adopted identical resolutions in April 1967 agreeing to operate and maintain a bi-city library.

The Opelousas-Eunice Public Library opened on Oct. 1, 1967. Opelousas supplied 60 percent of the library’s budget and Eunice supplied 40 percent. The Eunice library began operating independently in July 2019.