Enter the Letters About Literature Competition

by guest blogger Rebekah Manley, Coordinator at Texas Center for the Book 

Has a book made you laugh, brought you to tears, or changed your life? Write a letter to the author and enter the Letters About Literature Competition.

All 4th-12th grade students are invited to participate! Winners receive $100 and travel assistance to the Texas Library Association Annual Conference for a special awards ceremony.

You may read winning entries on the Letters About Literature Texas website.

There are three categories for contestants:  

Level 1 - Grades 4-6   

Level 2 - Grades 7-8

Level 3 - Grades 9-12

Follow these steps:

READ  Select a fiction or nonfiction book, a poem, or a play you have read that you feel strongly about. (Sorry, no song lyrics!) It might be a book that helped you through a difficult time, or it

might be a book that simply touched your heart or inspired you.

REFLECT  Think before you write. How did this author’s work change you or your view of the world? How and why are you different now than you were before you read this work?

PERSUADE  Write a personal letter to the author stating how reading his or her work changed you. Be personal and persuasive! Support your ideas with specific details, including details from the work itself. This is not a fan letter, but rather a reflection on how an author’s work influenced you.

WRITE  Type your entry in letter format. All submitted letters must be typed and between 400 and 800 words.

SUBMIT  Upload your letter to the new online submission platform (opening November 4, 2019). A permission form is required for all student participants who will be younger than 13 years of age on November 4, 2019. Make sure entries are submitted by December 17, 2019.

Teachers: Please encourage your students to enter. The website has a dedicated educator resource page. Many instructors tack this program onto an already planned curriculum, like memoir, letter, and essay writing.

How are the letters judged? The letters go through four rounds of judging. Judges ask: Is the letter written to the author and does it provide reflective details to support how the author’s work changed the reader’s view of the world or self? They also rate the content, expression, structure, and grammar of the letter.

Tips: Have someone proofread your letter. Make sure you read your letter out loud to someone and have them read it back to you. This way, you will hear how your letter sounds and catch any typos.

Important: Be sure to visit the Letters About Literature page* for the submission steps, permission form and official rules set by the Texas Center for the Book at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. This year’s contest runs from November 4, 2019, to December 17, 2019.

All contest information is available at *www.tsl.texas.gov/lettersaboutliterature