FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Nebraska’s 2026 Book Award Winners Announced
Celebrate Nebraska’s 2026 Book Award winners with author readings and an awards presentation ceremony at the Nebraska Celebration of Book’s (NCOB) literary festival. Held at the UNL City Campus Union on November 14th, winners of the 2026 Nebraska Book Awards will be honored at the celebration which will include author roundtables during the festival and an awards ceremony. The ceremony will feature readings by some of the winning authors, designers, and illustrators of books with a Nebraska connection published in 2025. And the winners are:
Children’s Award: The Legend of Donnie Bats: Greatness Lives in Every Kid by Jeff Kurrus Publisher: Jeff Kurrus.
Young Adult Award: K-Jane by Lydia Kang. Publisher: Quill Tree Books.
Illustration Award: One Little Squiggle by Jodi Adams, illustrated by Polina Gortman. Publisher: Young At Heart Publishing.
Illustration Honor: The Tractor Squad Saves the Dayby Heather Dawn Torres, illustrated by Gary Laib. Publisher: Marble Press.
Design & Cover Award: Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, written by Angie Hempel, edited by Kristine Gerber, designed by Jared Cloudt. Publisher: The Durham Museum.
Design Honor: The Jewel of Midtown: Field Club of Omaha by Stu Pospisil, edited by Chris Christen, Designed by Christine Zueck-Watkins. Publisher: Field Club of Omaha.
Cover Honor: Human Nature: Poetryby Julie S. Paschold. Publisher: WSC Press.
Fiction Award: The Butcher and the Liar: A Novel by S.L. Woeppel. Publisher: Books Fluent.
Nonfiction Essay Award:At the Corner of Past and Future: A Collection of Life Stories by Pamela Carter Joern. Publisher: Bison Books.
Nonfiction History Award:An American Corner of the World by David J. Wishart. Publisher: Nebraska State Historical Society.
Nonfiction History Honor Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, written by Angie Hempel, edited by Kristine Gerber, designed by Jared Cloudt. Publisher: The Durham Museum.
Nonfiction Nebraska as Place Award: The Best of Intentions: A story of landscape Change in the Heart of the Great Plains by Larkin Powell. Publisher: University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Nonfiction Reconciliation Award: Roots of Justice: A History of Race and Racism in Nebraska by Kevin Abourezk. Publisher: University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Poetry: Eternal Life and other poems by Gene Fendt. Publisher: Angelico Press.
Poetry Honor: The Last Yellow Rose: Poems by Lin Marshall Brummels. Publisher: Lewis-Clark Press / Sandhills Press.
This year’s Book Awards winners will be honored at the Nebraska Celebration of Books, which aims to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors. Held, Saturday, November 14th, from 10:00am-4:30pm, on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughn Multicultural Center. The event will feature 2026 One Book One Nebraska author Karen Russell, author panels and signings, book vendors, publishers, and presentation of the Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Award, and 2027 One Book One Nebraska announcement.
The 2026 One Book One Nebraska selection, The Antidote: A Novel by Karen Russell (Revell, 2023) will be featured with an author talk by Karen Russell.
The Nebraska Book Awards are sponsored and facilitated by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission.
The Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) sponsors include Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska Press, Omaha Public Libraries, Lincoln City Libraries, Francie and Finch Bookshop, and Flatwater Free Press. Humanities Nebraska provides support for One Book One Nebraska program.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Books Chosen to Represent Nebraska at National Book Festival
“Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better” and “The Antidote” chosen for the National Book Festival’s Great Reads from Great Places program.
The Nebraska Center for the Book has selected a youth book and adult book that feature Nebraska to represent the state at the 2026 National Book Festival: Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen and The Antidote: A Novel by Karen Russell.
Both titles will be part of the National Center for the Book’sGreat Reads from GreatPlaces program. Great Reads from Great Places features books and authors representing the literary heritage of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas. For over 20 years this program has included a highlighted youth title from each affiliate center. In 2022, Great Reads from Great Places began including titles for adults for the first time.
This year’s National Book Festival on August 22nd will be held in-person in Washington, D.C., but will include many livestreamed and recorded virtual programs celebrating books and authors.
The Festival Near You
This year Nebraskans will have the opportunity to join in the fun with programming featuring our Youth Great Read. The Festival Near You, is a statewide initiative celebrating the 2026 National Book Festival by bringing Nebraska’s Great Reads from Great Places youth book to communities, and offers Nebraskans a chance to engage with literature close to home.
As part of the programming, schools and libraries across the state can check out a free book club kit of Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better. The Nebraska Library Commission has 50 books available for checkout, each reservation will include discussion guides, activity prompts, and bookmarks. To further support statewide engagement the author, Mylisa Larsen, will offer eight virtual author visits to Nebraska schools and libraries who check out the book club kits. These interactive sessions give young readers the chance to ask questions, learn about the writing process, and connect directly with the author whose book represents Nebraska on the national stage. Libraries and educators can register for these visits on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Find about The Festival Near You programming and National Book Festival at https://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/nationalbookfestival.html.
About the Books
“Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better” by Mylisa Larsen (Clarion Books, 2024)
“Quagmire Tiarello prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of going into one of her full-out spins, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s used to her up-and-down moods, even if this time it feels a little different. Then his mom disappears, and Quag must find shelter with an uncle he didn’t know he had. Should he come clean about his mother’s mental health challenges? Or can he use his carefully honed skills to bluff long enough to find his mom and get home? Readers will root for Quag as he finds himself rethinking his world and learning to accept help from the people who love him.”
Nebraska’s Great Reads from Great Places book is chosen from the previous year’s Nebraska Book Award winners and this book was awarded the 2025 Nebraska Book Award in the Teen Novel category.
“The Antidote: A Novel” by Karen Russell (Knopf, 2025)
“The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the dust bowl drought but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a “Prairie Witch,” whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate. “
Chosen as the 2026 One Book One Nebraska selection, libraries across Nebraska and other literary and cultural organizations have participated in book discussions, activities, and events that encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission. As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
What do all of these #BookFace pictures have in common? They’ve all received a Nebraska Book Award! You could join this excellent group of authors, publishers, and illustrators, but you have to submit your book for consideration. You’ll have to act fast because the deadline for entries is May 31, 2026.
The Nebraska Book Awards recognize and honor books that are written by Nebraska authors and illustrators, published by Nebraska publishers, set in Nebraska, or relate to Nebraska. Books published in 2025, as indicated by the copyright date, are eligible for nomination. They must be professionally published, have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and be bound. Books may be entered in one or more of the following categories: Nonfiction, Fiction, Children/Young Adult, Cover/Design/Illustration, and Poetry. The entry fee is $40 per book and per category entered. For more information about the Book Awards and how to submit visit https://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards/nebookawards.html.
Winners of the 2026 Nebraska Book Awards will be featured at the Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) Literary Festival. Held on Saturday, November 14th, from 10:00am-5:30pm, this literary event will be on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center in downtown Lincoln. For more information about the Nebraska Book Awards visit centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards/nebookawards.html.
Governor Jim Pillen proclaimed April 19-25, 2026 National Library Week in Nebraska today at the Proclamation signing ceremony at the capitol. He also honored the student winners of the Letters About Literature writing contest with signed award certificates. These students wrote personal letters to authors explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. They selected authors from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. Winners were chosen from three competition levels: upper elementary, middle school, and high school.
These students were then honored at a reception at Lincoln City Library’s Bennett Martin branch where they had the opportunity to read their letters and receive their awards. Their winning letters were then placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. For more information about the competition see http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html
Level I (Grades 4-6):
Winner is Gabe Sowards of Tri-County Public Schools, who wrote to Evan Griffith about their book, Manatee Summer.
Runner-up is Emry Griesen of Lincoln’s Prescott Elementary, who wrote to Graeme Base about their book, The Eleventh Hour.
Level II (Grades 7-8):
Winner is Charlie Chance of Lincoln’s Scott Middle School who wrote to Gayle Forman about their book, I Have Lost My Way.
Runner-up is Harper Hoshaw of Omaha’s Lewis and Clark Middle School who wrote to Rainbow Rowell about their book, Carry On.
Level III (Grades 9-12):
Winner is Oliver Goddette of Wahoo Public High School, who wrote to Langston Hughes about their poem, Kids Who Die.
Runner-up is Eva Bordovsky of Wahoo Public High School, who wrote to Nicholas Sparks about their book The Notebook.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-4002 800-307-2665
Deadline for NebraskaLetters About Literature Writing Contest Approaches
Nebraska students have one month left to submit their letter in the state-wide Letters About Literature reading and writing contest. Readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Nebraska Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a state reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre-fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic-explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s view of the world. Submissions must be completed online by the end of the day December 31, 2025. Nebraska Letters About Literature is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from Lincoln City Libraries, Francie & Finch Bookshop, and Humanities Nebraska.
The Nebraska Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select a winner and an honorable mention per competition level (Level I for grades 4-6, Level II for grades 7-8, and Level III for grades 9-12) to be honored in a proclamation-signing ceremony at the state capitol during National Library Week in April 2026. Their winning letters will be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. Nebraska winners and honorable mentions will receive state prizes.
Teachers, librarians, and parents can download the contest guidelines, free teaching materials, information on the online entry system, and past winning letters on the Nebraska Center for the Book website. An informational NCompass Live webinar aired on October 1st, discussing this year’s contest, the submission process, and judging criteria. For more information contact Nebraska Center for the Book.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Bailee Juroshek 402-471-4002 800-307-2665
Nebraska Center for the Book Honors 2025 Award Recipients at Literary Festival
The Nebraska Center for the Book is proud to announce the recipients of its three distinguished literary honors: the Jane Geske Award, the Mildred Bennett Award, and the President’s Award, at the 2025 Nebraska Celebration of Books Literary Festival, held Saturday, November 15th, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.
This year’s Jane Geske Award will be presented to Delivering Infinite Bookshelves, a transformative literacy initiative that sends a book home with students each night to foster reading habits and support school and public library efforts. The program has demonstrated remarkable success in schools where students have historically struggled and has expanded its reach across Nebraska beyond Omaha. The award, supported by the Center for the Book, honors organizations making long-term contributions to literacy, reading, and writing in Nebraska.
This year’s Mildred Bennett Award will be presented to Ashley Olson, Executive Director of the Willa Cather Foundation, for her outstanding contributions to Nebraska’s literary tradition. Olson’s leadership has elevated the Foundation’s national profile, including her role in placing Littleton Alston’s statue of Willa Cather in Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. Her work has drawn acclaimed authors to Red Cloud, spearheaded successful capital campaigns, and expanded the Foundation’s digital reach – creating a lasting literary landmark that enriches both scholarship and community.
This year, the Nebraska Center for the Book honors Christine Walsh and Tessa Timperley with the President’s Award for their exceptional service to the Nebraska Center for the Book and Nebraska’s literary community.
Christine Walsh served multiple terms as president of the Nebraska Center for the Book, offering steady leadership and innovative direction, especially during the challenges of the pandemic. Her participation in the 2024 National Center for the Book strategic planning process ensured that Nebraska’s voice was heard at the national level. Her work reflects a deep commitment to collaboration, kindness, and literary excellence.
Tessa Timperley has provided the Nebraska Center for the Book invaluable behind-the-scenes support for years, enabling volunteers to carry out their work with efficiency and confidence. Her competence, humor, and collaborative spirit have made her an essential part of the Center’s success and a respected figure in Nebraska’s literary landscape.
The Celebration of Books will also feature readings by 2025 Nebraska Book Award winners, author panels, book vendors, and appearances by State Poets Jewel Rodgers and Matt Mason, along with Tosca Lee, author of the 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection. The 2026 One Book One Nebraska title will be revealed during the event.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Shortlist for 2026 One Book One Nebraska Announced
What book will all Nebraskans be encouraged to read in 2026? We will all find out on November 15th at the Nebraska Celebration of Books (N.COB) literary festival. A mesmerizing dust bowl epic filled with magical realism, a photographic journey across Nebraska, a beautifully written novel about second chances — all stories with ties to Nebraska—are the finalists for the 2026 One Book One Nebraska statewide reading program. The finalists are:
The Antidote: A Novel by Karen Russell, Knopf, 2025.
Nebraska: Under a Big Red Sky by Joel Sartore, Bison Books, 2006.
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, Knopf, 2016.
The One Book One Nebraska reading program is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Humanities Nebraska, and the Nebraska Library Commission. It encourages Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss the same book, chosen from books written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. A Nebraska Center for the Book committee selected the three finalists from a list of nineteen titles nominated by Nebraskans. In the coming weeks, Nebraska Center for the Book board members will vote on the 2026 selection.
Nebraskans are invited to take part in the Nebraska Celebration of Books (N.COB) Literary Festival where the choice for the 2026 One Book One Nebraska will be announced. Held on Saturday, November 15th, from 10:00 am – 5:30 pm, on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center, this event aims to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors. The festival will honor the 2025 One Book One Nebraska with an author talk by Tosca Lee, in addition it will feature 2025 Nebraska Book Award winning authors, Nebraska State Poets Jewel Rodgers and Matt Mason, a writing workshop hosted by Larksong Writers Place, book vendors, and presentation of the Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Awards. Visit https://bookfestival.nebraska.gov/ for more information about the N.COB festival programming and authors.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Nebraska’s 2025 Book Award Winners Announced
Celebrate Nebraska’s 2025 Book Award winners with author readings and an awards presentation ceremony at the Nebraska Celebration of Book’s (NCOB) literary festival. Held at the UNL City Campus Union on November 15th, winners of the 2025 Nebraska Book Awards will be honored at the celebration which will include author roundtables during the festival and an awards ceremony. The ceremony will feature readings by some of the winning authors, designers, and illustrators of books with a Nebraska connection published in 2024. And the winners are:
Teen Novel: Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen. Publisher: Clarion Books.
Cover/Illustration: Animal Climate Heroesby Alison Pearce Stevens, illustrated by Jason Ford. Publisher: Godwin Books.
Cover/Illustration Honor: Do You Know the Value of You? by Isabelle Hall, illustrated by Megan Earley. Publisher: Joyful Page Press.
Design: Creative Genius: The Art of the Nebraska Capitol by Susanne Shore, Kevin Moser, and Drew Davies. Publisher: Bison Books.
Fiction: Isamu’s American Dream by D. D. Davenport. Publisher: Donald D Davenport.
Fiction Honor: Sacrificial Animals: A Novel by Kailee Pedersen. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press.
Nonfiction Biography:Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II by Gregg Jones. Publisher: Citadel Press.
Nonfiction Conservation:Into Whooperland: A Photographer’s Journey with Whooping Cranes by Michael Forsberg. Publisher: Michael Forsberg Photography.
Nonfiction History: Journey to Freedom: Uncovering the Grayson Sisters’ Escape from Nebraska Territory by Gail Shaffer. Publisher: University of Nebraska Press.
Nonfiction Memoir:Running Naked: Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska by Colby Coash. Publisher: Cahoy & Crook.
Nonfiction Nebraska as Place: The Nebraska Sandhills edited by Monica M. Norby, Judy Diamond, Aaron Sutherlen, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Kim Hachiya, Douglas A. Norby, and Michael Forsberg. Publisher: Bison Books.
Poetry: The Watching Sky by Judy Brackett Crowe. Publisher: Cornerstone Press.
Poetry Honor: Those We Can No Longer See: New and Selected Poems by Bob Ross. Publisher: Stephen F. Austin University Press.
This year’s Book Awards winners will be honored at the Nebraska Celebration of Books, which aims to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors. Held, Saturday, November 15th, from 10:00am-4:30pm, on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughn Multicultural Center. The event will feature 2025 One Book One Nebraska author Tosca Lee, past and present State Poets Matt Mason and Jewel Rodgers, book vendors, publishers, and presentation of the Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Award, and the 2026 One Book One Nebraska announcement.
The 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection, The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee (Revell, 2023) will be featured with an author talk by Nebraska Author Tosca Lee.
The Nebraska Book Awards are sponsored and facilitated by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission.
The Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) host sponsors include Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln City Libraries, and Francie and Finch Bookshop. Humanities Nebraska provides support for One Book One Nebraska program.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
Governor Jim Pillen proclaimed April 6-12, 2025 National Library Week in Nebraska today at the Proclamation signing ceremony at the capitol. He also honored the student winners of the Letters About Literature writing contest with signed award certificates. These students wrote personal letters to authors explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. They selected authors from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. Winners were chosen from three competition levels: upper elementary, middle school, and high school.
These students were then honored at a reception at Lincoln City Library’s Bennett Martin branch where they had the opportunity to read their letters and receive their awards. Their winning letters were then placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. For more information about the competition see http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html
Level I (Grades 4-6):
Winner is Justin Kang-Shizuka of Lincoln’s Prescott Elementary, who wrote to Ellen Oh about their book, Finding Junie Kim.
Runner-up is Imogen Meiklejohn of Lincoln’s Prescott Elementary, who wrote to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley about their book, Fighting Words.
Level II (Grades 7-8):
Winner is Ethan Hurlburt of Lincoln’s Irving Middle School who wrote to Sudhir Venkatesh about their book, Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets.
Runner-up is Taryn Kumm of Lincoln’s Lutheran Middle and High School who wrote to Veronica Roth about their book, Divergent.
Level III (Grades 9-12):
Winner is Jacie Brabec of Wahoo Public High School, who wrote to Ana Huang about their book, Twisted Lies.
Runner-up is Ella Walsh of Wahoo Public High School, who wrote to Ruta Sepetys about their book Ashes in the Snow.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition
Nebraska students competed for the twenty-sixth year in the annual Letters About Literature competition. They wrote to tell an author about how books can make a difference in a young person’s life. Young Nebraska writers who wrote winning letters in the Letters About Literature competition will attend a proclamation signing ceremony on April 10th with Gov. Jim Pillen. Letters About Literature is a state-wide reading and writing promotion program. The competition encourages young people to read, be inspired, and write back to the author (living or dead) who had an impact on their lives.
This annual contest is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, Lincoln City Libraries, Humanities Nebraska, Connie Osborne, Francie & Finch Bookshop of Lincoln, and Chapters Bookstore in Seward.
Young Nebraska writers to be honored are:
Level I (Grades 4-6): Winner is Justin Kang-Shizuka of Lincoln’s Prescott Elementary, who wrote to Ellen Oh about their book, Finding Junie Kim. Runner-up is Imogen Meiklejohn of Lincoln’s Prescott Elementary, who wrote to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley about their book, Fighting Words.
Level II (Grades 7-8): Winner is Ethan Hurlburt of Lincoln’s Irving Middle School who wrote to Sudhir Venkatesh about their book, Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets. Runner-up is Taryn Kumm of Lincoln’s Lutheran Middle and High School who wrote to Veronica Roth about their book, Divergent.
Level III (Grades 9-12): Winner is Jacie Brabec of Wahoo Public High School, who wrote to Ana Huang about their book, Twisted Lies. Runner-up is Ella Walsh of Wahoo Public High School, who wrote to Ruta Sepetys about their book Ashes in the Snow.
The students wrote personal letters to authors explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. They selected authors from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. Winners were chosen from three competition levels: upper elementary, middle school, and high school.
The Nebraska winners will be honored at a reception at Lincoln City Library’s Bennett Martin branch and receive cash prizes and gift certificates. Their winning letters will then be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. For more information about the competition see http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
