State Library’s Center for the Book Encourages Students to Write Letters

Students can revisit their most powerful literary experiences through a contest that asks them to write a personal letter to an author and explain how his or her work changed their perspective on the world.

The national Letters About Literature competition is open to students in grades 4 through 10, and submissions are being accepted until January 11, 2013 (postmark). The annual competition is sponsored by the South Carolina State Library’s Center for the Book and the South Carolina State Library Foundation in partnership with the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

To enter, readers write a letter to an author, past or present, describing how that author’s work made an impact on their life. Contestants are cautioned not to summarize the book’s plot, but to express in an honest, conversational tone, how the book affected them.

The contest, which focuses on reader response and reflective writing, has three competition levels: Level 1 for students in grades 4-6; Level 2 for students in grades 7 and 8; and Level 3 for students in grades 9-10. State winners, announced in March each year, receive cash awards. National winners, announce in late April, receive additional prizes and earn for their school or community library LAL Reading Promotion Grants valued at thousands of dollars!

LAL focuses on reader response and reflective writing. Free teaching materials, including lesson plans, writing samples, assessment checklists, and teacher tips at the LAL web site.

To download the official entry guidelines and entry form, visit http://lettersaboutliterature.org.