Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 3, 2023
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Terry
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition
Nebraska students competed for the twenty-fourth year in the annual
Letters About Literature competition. They wrote to tell an author
about how books can make a difference in a young person’s life. Young
Nebraska writers who wrote winning letters in the Letters About
Literature competition attended a proclamation signing ceremony on
April 3rd with Gov. Jim Pillen. Letters About
Literature is a state-wide reading and writing promotion program. 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.
This annual contest is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center
for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, Lincoln City Libraries,
Humanities Nebraska, Connie Osborne, Francie & Finch Bookshop of Lincoln,
and Chapters Bookstore in Seward.
Young Nebraska writers to be honored are:
Winners Sienna Geib, of Lincoln, for a
letter to Kikori Morino
Lily Wright, of Valley, for a
letter to Jennifer Niven
Runners-up
Libertad Wilson, of Lincoln, for a letter to Alan Gratz
Jack Woodward, of Valley, for a letter to Sonia Nazario
The students 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 two competition levels: middle school, and high school.
The Nebraska winners were honored at a luncheon and received cash prizes and
gift certificates. Their winning letters are placed in the Jane Pope Geske
Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in
Lincoln. For more information about the competition see
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html
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.”
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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.