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Tag: Washington Center for the Book

Meet the winners of Washington’s 2019 Letters About Literature Contest

Meet the winners of Washington’s 2019 Letters About Literature Contest

Letters About Literature is an annual writing contest for youth where students are asked to write a letter to an author — living or deceased — whose book has changed the way the student writer sees the world. Each year the letters are incredible, poignant, and well written. Since 2005, the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, has been involved in judging the contest. In 2018, the Washington Center for the Book, a…

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passport to libraries fanciful map
Exploring Washington’s libraries via Passport

Exploring Washington’s libraries via Passport

Last summer, the solar eclipse of 2017 was a HUGE event — and libraries stood at the epicenter. Eclipse glasses were sold out in stores, online, and pretty much everywhere. As a result, the small stash of glasses we saved at the Washington State Library to hand out on eclipse day became a truly hot commodity. Some people even camped out in their cars to be first in line for glasses! Our eclipse event was a smashing success. Upon seeing…

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Washington Letters About Literature Champion recognized by Library of Congress

Washington Letters About Literature Champion recognized by Library of Congress

We are very pleased to announce that Washington’s Level 2 champion in the state Letters About Literature competition, Riya Sharma, was selected as a National Honor Award winner for her letter about The Confidence Code. Riya is an 8th grade student at The Overlake School in Redmond. Our judges weren’t surprised at all by her national recognition. Here’s what they said about Riya’s letter: “Ms. Sharma’s letter stood out among many well written entries and did an excellent job of connecting…

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Letters About Literature winners with Sec. Wyman
Watch the Letters About Literature 2018 Awards Ceremony

Watch the Letters About Literature 2018 Awards Ceremony

For the past 13 years, the Washington State Library has sponsored a contest called Letters About Literature. The straightforward contest asks students in grades 4-12 to write a letter to an author about how his or her book changed their view of the world or themselves. We wrote a little about the contest earlier in the year. Each year when the letters written by Washington students arrive, we read them and cannot believe the depth of feeling and insight contained in…

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Letters About Literature: Much more than just a contest

Letters About Literature: Much more than just a contest

What do you get when you combine books, students, writing and a national contest? You get hope for the future and the country, and the knowledge that we are all in good hands for the future. Washington state has participated in the Letters About Literature contest since 2005, and it is a favorite for everyone who has experienced it. What makes it so great is, simply put, the letters. Unlike the book reports we all remember from our school days,…

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WSL Updates for August 10, 2017

WSL Updates for August 10, 2017

Volume 13, August 10, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WASHINGTON STATE BOOK AWARDS 2) GALAXY SCIFI ARCHIVE 3) THE STATE OF EBOOKS IN LIBRARIES 4) MORE THAN #MOTIVATIONMONDAY 5) LIBRARIES, LGBTQ YOUTH, & HOMELESSNESS 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) WASHINGTON STATE BOOK AWARDS The Washington Center for the Book, a partnership of The Seattle Public Library and Washington State Library, announces the finalists in eight categories for the 2017 Washington State Book…

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The National Book Festival and a book to represent Washington State

The National Book Festival and a book to represent Washington State

In September of 2001 the first National Book Festival was held in Washington D.C.  Laura Bush, a retired librarian, then First Lady of the United States, worked with the Librarian of Congress to launch this new event to encourage a lifelong love of reading.  James Billington, then Librarian of Congress, said, “We must all try, in every way we can, to send the message that reading is critical to our lives and to the life of our nation.” (1) In…

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WSL Updates for July 27, 2017

WSL Updates for July 27, 2017

Volume 13, July 27, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) STEM PROGRAMS – FIRST TUESDAYS 2) WASHINGTON READS – ONE STATE/ONE BOOK 3) WELCOME TO SKILLPORT 4) LIBRARIES READY TO CODE 5) IMLS GRANTS WEBINAR 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) STEM PROGRAMS – FIRST TUESDAYS There is a wealth of information available regarding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) but how does one decide what type of STEM program(s) to implement into the…

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Book Bingo, it’s never too late!

Book Bingo, it’s never too late!

By now we hope you’ve heard about the new partnership between the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and the Washington State Library.  Yes, we are talking about the Washington Center for the Book. As with all new  endeavors, it can take a while for the behind the scenes work to emerge but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.  Lots of ideas and projects are being cooked up, and we hope to announce things soon.  Meanwhile, if you don’t have your own…

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WSL Updates for July 20, 2017

WSL Updates for July 20, 2017

Volume 13, July 20, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) IMLS BUDGET VICTORY 2) TWO NEW RURAL HERITAGE COLLECTIONS 3) CENTER FOR THE BOOK 4) MEASURES THAT MATTER PART 3 5) GRANTS – RECORDINGS AT RISK 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK