Letters About Literature 2017-2018

It’s Letters About Literature time again!

Mississippi's 2016-2017 Letters About Literature winners

Letters About Literature is a state and national writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Each student is encouraged to write a letter to the author of their favorite book explaining how the book changed their life, changed their outlook, or helped them through a hard time. It’s a personal letter, not an essay, so students can feel free to express how they feel!

There are three age categories:

• Level 1: grades 4-6
• Level 2: grades 7-8
• Level 3: grades 9-12

Letters are due by December 9.

Statewide prizes are as follows:

• First place (for each of the three age levels): $100
• Second place (for each of the three age levels): $75
• Third place (for each of the three age levels): $50

First place winners move on to national judging. National prizes are $1,000 for first place in each of the three age levels and $200 for Honor Winners in each of the three age levels.

Mississippi's 2015-2016 Letters About Literature winners

The 25th annual writing contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries, and other organizations. Statewide, this contest is made possible by the Mississippi Library Commission, the Mississippi Center for the Book, and the Friends of Mississippi Libraries.

Teachers, librarians, and parents, please share this information widely! Additional information and entry coupons can be found here. We can’t wait to read your students’ letters!

See MLC at the Mississippi Book Festival

The third annual Mississippi Book Festival is upon us, can you believe it?! Saturday, August 19, you have several chances to rub shoulders with Mississippi Library Commission staff while you're rushing from panel to panel. Here's how:

• 9:00 AM
  The new Mississippi Literary Map will be unveiled by Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress. The map was commissioned by MLC and the Mississippi Center for the Book using funds from a Bicentennial Grant awarded by the Mississippi Humanities Council.
• 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
  Every half hour for seven straight hours you can head to Room 204 to hear your favorite Mississippi authors read from their favorite Mississippi authors in the Book Festival's first Mississippi Marathon Reads.
• 9:30 AM
  At 9:30, spend some time listening to a conversation between Representative Gregg Harper, Chairman of the Joint Committee of the Library, and Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress.
• 4:00 PM
  Mississippi Center for the Book Director Tracy Carr (who is also Library Services Director at MLC) will moderate the Voices of Home panel. Joining her conversation on Mississippi writing will be Johnnie Bernhard, Julie Cantrell, Susan Cushman, and John Floyd.
• All day
  Find our MLC exhibit in the Capitol Rotunda. Staff will be available to discuss the Mississippi Center for the Book and Talking Book Services.

We can't wait to see you at the third annual Mississippi Book Festival, the best literary lawn party in the world!

Sixty Odd Years of Mapping the Literary

As we announced back in May, the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden is traveling to Mississippi in a few short weeks to participate in Mississippi Literary Lawn Party activities and we couldn't be more thrilled. (Seriously, if you haven't marked the Mississippi Book Festival on your calendar for August 19, you need to do it now!) One of her many planned events while in Jackson is the unveiling of Mississippi's brand new literary map. This map, commissioned by the Mississippi Library Commission and the Mississippi Center for the Book, honors our state's rich literary culture and history.

The 2017 Mississippi Literary Map, which features 21 Mississippi authors illustrated by Jacksonian Ginger Williams Cook, is the latest in a series of maps put out by various literary-minded agencies in our state. One has appeared approximately every twenty years, each featuring a new representation of the lit set in Mississippi. In 1951, a blue-green hued map was created by two professors at Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi). It was endorsed by the Mississippi Education Association.

Section of 1951 Mississippi Literary Map

A new map in 1970 had a more minimalist design. This map was put out by the Mississippi Library Association, which created a special Literary Map Committee for the occasion.

Section of 1970 Mississippi Literary Map

By the way, if you caught our teaser on Facebook yesterday, this angel represented Mississippi author Elizabeth Spencer's book No Place for an Angel.

In 1992, a literary map consisting of a collection of watercolor portraits by Wyatt Waters took the spotlight. It was compiled by the Mississippi Council of Teachers of English and sponsored by Delta State University. Funding was partially provided by an LSTA grant administered by the Mississippi Library Commission.

Section of 1992 Mississippi Literary Map

Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds as we share more from these fascinating old maps. We're counting down the days until Carla Hayden reveals the new map at the Mississippi Book Festival and can't wait to see who's on it!

The Hate U Give is on the Map

The Mississippi Center for the Book (MSCFB) is pleased to announce that Angie Thomas's debut novel The Hate U Give has been selected to represent Mississippi on the 2017 National Book Festival’s Discover Great Places through Reading Map.

The book, acquired in a 13-house auction by Balzar + Bray/Harper, was released in February of 2017 to great acclaim. Everyone from The Atlantic to NPR to The Guardian to Oprah has given it rave reviews and it's been on the New York Times Best Seller list for the past 16 weeks. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses a childhood friend's death and is faced with the decision whether to stand up for her friend and her neighborhood or to play it safe and let his death go by unnoticed and without justice. Aimed at young adults, but immensely readable by adults as well, The Hate U Give is a hard hitting, no holds barred look at police violence, racial profiling, and standing up for what you believe in. There's a great interview with the author and a discussion guide here.

Angie Thomas was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University. Apart from her top-notch writing skills, Thomas is also a hip hop scholar and Harry Potter aficionado. She is currently working on her next novel and will be participating in the Mississippi Book Festival's Rising Stars in Young Adult panel in August.

The 17th Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held Saturday, September 2, 2017 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Mississippi Center for the Book Director Tracy Carr and MSCFB Assistant Director Ally Mellon will represent Mississippi at the Pavilion of the States.

Mississippi Center for the Book Announces Creation of New Mississippi Literary Map

The Mississippi Center for the Book, located at the Mississippi Library Commission, is pleased to announce the creation of a new Mississippi Literary Map, funded by a Bicentennial Grant through the Mississippi Humanities Council. Twenty-one Mississippi authors will be represented on the map by a portrait, created by noted Mississippi artist Ginger Williams Cook, known for her illustrative, whimsical portraits. The map will also include many of Mississippi’s most noted writers represented through text. All authors on the map were chosen by a selection committee, and include many prominent as well as often undervalued Mississippi writers. This map is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all Mississippi authors; rather, it is a representative sample of authors from the state who have achieved national attention and awards, such as Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes. The last literary map was created in the mid-90s.

Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, will unveil the map at the third annual Mississippi Book Festival on August 19, 2017 at the Mississippi State Capitol. “This being Mississippi’s bicentennial makes it the perfect opportunity to look back and celebrate the state’s literary treasures as well as recognize some overlooked authors,” said Tracy Carr, Director of Mississippi Center for the Book. “It is beyond exciting that Dr. Hayden open the Mississippi Book Festival by unveiling the map,” Carr said. Maps will be available free of charge to the general public at the Mississippi Book Festival.

The Mississippi Center for the Book is the state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, a national program that promotes books, libraries, literacy, and reading. The Mississippi Center for the Book, housed at the Mississippi Library Commission since 2000, hosts statewide programs such as Letters About Literature, a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12; creates programming opportunities for public libraries such as the popular Book Club in a Box program; participates in the Mississippi Book Festival and National Book Festival; and creates special projects, such as Bicentennial Bingo.

The Mississippi Library Commission supports innovative programs and initiatives to strengthen and enhance library services for all Mississippians. The agency is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, with additional funding provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services under provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), offering leadership in library services, advocacy, and training for library professionals and paraprofessionals.

Letters About Literature 2017

It's Letters About Literature time again!

Letters about Literature is a state and national writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Each student is encouraged to write a letter to the author of their favorite book explaining how the book changed their life, changed their outlook, or helped them through a hard time. It's a personal letter, not an essay, so students can feel free to express how they feel!

There are three age categories:

Level 1: grades 4-6
Level 2: grades 7-8
Level 3: grades 9-12

Letters from Levels 1 and 2 are due by January 9, 2017. Letters from Level 3 are due by December 2, 2016.



Statewide prizes are as follows:

First place (for each of the three age levels): $100
Second place (for each of the three age levels): $75
Third place (for each of the three age levels): $50

First place winners move on to national judging. National prizes are $1,000 for first place in each of the three age levels and $200 for Honor Winners in each of the three age levels.

Teachers, librarians, and parents, please share this information widely!

2016 Mississippi Letters about Literature winners

The 24th annual writing contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries, and other organizations. Statewide, this contest is made possible by the Mississippi Library Commission, the Mississippi Center for the Book, and the Friends of Mississippi Libraries.

Additional information and entry coupons can be found here. Please send all entries to Mississippi Center for the Book care of Ally Mellon at the Mississippi Library Commission.

Letters About Literature 2015

It's Letters About Literature time again! This year's theme is "How did an author's work change your view of the world or yourself?"

Letters About Literature is a state and national writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Each student is encouraged to write a letter to the author of their favorite book explaining how the book changed their life, changed their outlook, or helped them through a hard time. It's a personal letter, not an essay, so students can feel free to express how they feel!

There are three age categories:
Level 1: grades 4-6
Level 2: grades 7-8
Level 3: grades 9-12

Letters from Levels 1 and 2 are due by January 11, 2016. Letters from Level 3 are due by December 4, 2015.

Statewide prizes are as follows:
First place (for each of the three age levels): $100
Second place (for each of the three age levels): $75
Third place (for each of the three age levels): $50

First place winners move on to national judging. National prizes are $1,000 for first place in each of the three age levels and $200 for Honor Winners in each of the three age levels.

Teachers, librarians, and parents, please share this information widely!

The 23rd annual writing contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries, and other organizations. Statewide, this contest is made possible by the Mississippi Library Commission, the Mississippi Center for the Book, and the Friends of Mississippi Libraries.

Entry forms can be found here.

15th Annual National Book Festival

We were honored to be able to participate at the Library of Congress National Book Festival again this year. This was the festival's 15th year! The festival took place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. There were thousands of readers in attendance and we had quite a busy day. We had a great time representing Mississippi in the Pavilion of the States and got to meet thousands (yes, thousands) of young readers. Here's a photo of us at our booth before the day got started.

We came armed with several boxes full of fun, free literary stuff like books, buttons, bookmarks, and word games to give away.You see that book standing up on the right hand side of our table? That's The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton (mentioned in a previous blog post here). Each year, every state is asked to pick a children's or young adult title that was written by someone from their state or set in their state. The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch was our featured title this year. We got tons of questions about it and got to be a small part of introducing some young readers to John Roy Lynch's amazing life story. We had a great time and can't wait to go back next year. Want to read more about the festival? Check out the Library of Congress National Book Festival Blog.

Bookin' It to the Mississippi Book Festival

If you read Lemuria Bookstore's blog post last week, you're already gnashing your teeth to get into the Mississippi Book Festival this coming Saturday. Features keep coming in, so here are a few more events you won't want to miss:

The festivities are beginning early for those of us who JUST CAN'T WAIT. Head over to the Art Museum Thursday night for the Cut-Up and Craft Preview and make a sculpture from copied book pages. If you're not much of an artist, we suggest stopping in Fondren instead. Here you can partake in the Liquor-ature Pub Crawl, which starts at Sal & Mookie's Pi(e) Lounge at 6 p.m, before moving to the Apothecary and Fondren Public. Sponsors from the Mississippi Center for the Book and Lemuria Bookstore will be awarding fun prizes!

Mississippi Reads Launch

The Mississippi Center for the Book is pleased to announce the launch of Mississippi Reads, an online, statewide book club! We encourage everyone to read along with our quarterly selections, then visit the site and participate in the discussion. Existing book clubs are welcome to use the discussion questions in their meetings and folks without a book club now have a place to join in. All Mississippi Reads featured titles will be available in large print and in the Talking Book Services collection at the Mississippi Library Commission so that all may participate.

The Summer 2015 selection is John Grisham's Sycamore Row -- Grisham is the headliner for the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, MS, on August 22, 2015, which is a great way to tie these two projects together. Each Wednesday, we'll load new content on the site so be sure and visit. Happy reading!