Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 15, 2018
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Librarians and Teachers to Host
Letter Writing Clinics
What could motivate Nebraska young people to write letters? A
great story and the opportunity to tell an author about how a
book made a difference in their own life can provide just the
right encouragement. Teachers and librarians in Nebraska were
recently awarded grants to host pilot Letter Writing Clinics for
students in their area. The clinics will introduce students to
the Letters About Literature contest and letter writing
techniques. Students will get ideas for selecting books and
learn how to craft letters that can be submitted to the Letters
About Literature contest, a national reading and writing
promotion program that engages nearly 50,000 adolescent and
young readers nationwide in grades four through twelve. The
competition encourages young people to read, be inspired, and
write back to the author (living or dead) who had an impact on
their lives.
The Letter Writing Clinic grants are sponsored by Humanities
Nebraska, Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Cultural
Endowment, and Nebraska Library Commission. The winning
applicants are:
- Sarah Alfred, Morrill Public Library Director,
Friends of Morrill Public Library
- Keri Anderson, Hoesch Memorial Library Director,
Alma
- Becky Henkel, Bayard Public Library Director
- Alicia Lassen, Overton Public School Librarian and
Teacher
The annual Letters About Literature writing competition is
sponsored nationally by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress,
with funding from Dollar General Literacy Foundation. 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, Houchen Bindery
Ltd., and Chapters Bookstore in Seward.
For more information about the Letters About Literature
competition, see
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html. To
learn more about Letter Writing Clinics, see
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL_Grant/2018/index.aspx.
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".
Humanities Nebraska inspires and enriches personal and public
life by offering opportunities to thoughtfully engage with
history and culture. Humanities Nebraska was established as a
state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the
Humanities in 1973.
###
The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library
Commission are always available on the Library Commission
Website,
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases
.
For more information, contact a href='/scripts/mail/mail2staff.asp?Mary Jo Ryan'>Mary Jo Ryan.