Letters About Literature contest announced

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book announces a call for entries for the 2009-10 Letters About Literature (LAL) contest. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 12.

This nationwide event is sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and Target Stores. The contest invites students in grades four to 12 to write letters to authors -- living or dead -- explaining how the author's words affected them or their worldview. The program seeks personal and reflective writing about the importance of books in the lives of young readers.

Free teaching materials, including lesson plans, assessment checklists, writing samples and more can be found at http://www.lettersaboutliterature.org/.  In the spring, Pennsylvania award winners in each category get a cash prize plus a $50 gift certificate from Target.

LAL gives $10,000 reading promotion grants to the school or community library of each of the six national award winners. In addition, each national winner receives a $500 Target gift card. Twelve national runners-up receive a $100 Target gift card and a $1,000 grant for the library of their choice.

Target Stores, along with its parent company Target Corporation, give back more than $2 million a week to local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, is sponsored in Pennsylvania by Penn State's University Libraries.

For more information about the contest, please contact Caroline Wermuth, outreach coordinator, at 814-863-5472 or Karla M. Schmit, assistant director, at 814-863-5521. Visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book Web site at http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/ online.
 

Last Updated October 5, 2009