BATON ROUGE, La.– The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana announces the annual Letters About Literature contest, a Library of Congress national reading and writing competition for students in grades 4-12 and coordinated in state by the Louisiana Center. To enter the contest, a student writes a personal letter to an author, living or deceased, explaining how the author’s book, poem, play, or speech changed the student’s view of the world or self.
“Letters About Literature is just one of many programs offered through the State Library of Louisiana that help promote and encourage literacy in our young people,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “I hope teachers, school and public librarians, and homeschool parents across the state take advantage of this opportunity for their students to polish their reflective writing skills all while having the chance to win cash prizes and receive national recognition!”
Students may enter online at www.read.gov/letters through their school or local libraries, or on their own, in one of three competition levels: Level 1 for grades 4-6, Level 2 for grades 7-8, or Level 3 for grades 9-12.
“Literature has an amazing power to both inspire and to heal, and none so much as the books we read as young people,” said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton. “I’ll never forget how books such as Matilda, Charlotte’s Web, and The Chronicles of Narnia inspired my life-long love of reading. The Letters About Literature contest offers a meaningful opportunity for students at a variety of grade levels to reflect on the way reading has affected their lives.”
The national Letters About Literature team selects finalists for Louisiana in each competition level; then, our state winners are chosen by a panel of judges including teachers and librarians from throughout the state. Our Louisiana winners receive $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place. The winners are honored at the Louisiana Book Festival. First place winning letters are submitted to the Library of Congress for the national competition with the chance of winning up to $1,000.
Letters must be submitted directly to the Library of Congress by January 11, 2019. Official rules, a call for student letters, and a helpful video series guide for participating may be found at www.read.gov/letters, as well as teacher resources with lesson plans and instructions for submitting letters as a group.
The 2018-2019 Letters About Literature contest is made possible through a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries, and other organizations.
In Louisiana, the contest is made possible by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana with the assistance of the Louisiana Writing Project and the Louisiana Library and Book Festival Foundation. Funding for prizes is provided by a Library of Congress grant.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Rebecca Hamilton
State Library of Louisiana
225.342.4923
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Julio Guichard/Bill Sherman
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
225.342.7009
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