Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 5, 2010
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition
Young Nebraska writers will receive Letters about Literature award
certificates from Gov. Dave Heineman on April 7, 2010 at a
proclamation-signing ceremony celebrating National Library Week, April
11-17, 2010. Letters about Literature is a
national reading and writing promotion program. Just under 70,000 adolescent
and young adult readers nationwide in grades 4 through 12 participated in
this year's Letters About Literature program, which encourages young people
to read, be inspired and write back to the author who has somehow changed
their view of the world or themselves. This annual contest is sponsored
nationally by the Center for the Book in
the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. Target sponsors
Letters About Literature as part of its national reading initiative, "Ready.
Sit. Read!," which is aimed at fostering a love of reading among children at
an early age. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered
with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community
needs. The Center for the Book was established in 1977 as a public-private
partnership to use the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate
public interest in books and reading.
The Nebraska competition is coordinated and
sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book,
Nebraska Library Commission, and Houchen Bindery Ltd. Young Nebraska writers to be honored are:
Winners:
- Haylie R. Roberts
Pender, for Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan
- Victoria Kolala,
Omaha, for Think Big, by Ben Carson
- Arash Hamidi ,
Omaha, for Torn Between Two Cultures, by Maryam Qudrat Aseel
Alternate Winners:
- Mia Thomas, Bellevue, for Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen
- Megan Brookhouser,
Omaha, for The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak
- Shawn Gasseling,
Alliance, for A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
More than 540 Nebraska students participated in the annual contest, compared
to 250 entries last year. They wrote personal letters to authors explaining
how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. They
selected authors from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or
classic. Winners were chosen from three competition levels: upper
elementary, middle, and secondary school.
The Nebraska winners will be honored at a luncheon, receive cash prizes and
gift certificates to Target Stores, and their winning letters will be placed
in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin
Public Library. They will advance to the national competition, with a chance
to win a trip to Washington, D.C. for themselves and their parents. For more
information see nlc.nebraska.gov,
search on Letters About Literature.
###
The
Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission
and brings together the state's readers, writers, booksellers, librarians,
publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the
book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in
books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is
supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.
As
the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for
the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the
Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of
library and information services, bringing together people and information.
The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are
always available on the Library Commission website,
nlc.nebraska.gov, search on News
Releases