The Kansas Center for the Book is pleased to announce the return of the highly popular Letters About Literature program for 2009-2010. Letters About Literature (LAL) is a national reading and writing initiative that asks students in grades 4-12 to write letters to authors whose books have made a difference in their lives. LAL seeks personal and reflective writing about the importance of written works in the lives of young readers.
Hundreds of Kansas students submit letters to this initiative each year. Submissions will be accepted this year beginning September 1, 2009, and the deadline is December 12, 2009. Young readers are encouraged to express themselves. A letter is less formal than an essay or research paper, and they should write honestly and in their own words as though they are having a conversation with the author. Fan letters and summaries of plots are discouraged.
After three rounds of national level judging and one round using Kansas judges, three state winners receive cash awards from the Kansas Center for the Book through a grant from the Library of Congress Center for the Book. Winners also receive a Target gift card and a certificate of achievement at their schools or libraries, and are invited to the Capitol Building for a photo opportunity with the Governor. Letters of state winners are entered into national judging. National winners receive $500 Target gift cards, plus each will win a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for their community or school library so that others can experience personal relationships with authors and the stories they tell. Additionally, the national honorable mention winners will each receive a $100 Target gift card and a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for the community or school library of their choice. These three are selected from among over a hundred semi-finalists sent to Kansas for state judging, and every semi-finalist receives a certificate of achievement.
Submissions should be sent to: Letters About Literature, PO Box 609, Dallas, PA 18612.
The 2009-2010 Kansas Letters About Literature project is sponsored by the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas. The national program is sponsored by the Library of Congress and Target Stores. Visit www.kcfb.info for more information, teaching resources, and guidelines.