Student Named Contest Winner in Letters About Literature Competition

Fifth Former Geena Kim was a Connecticut contest winner in the 26th annual Letters About Literature reading and writing contest for students sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. She gave a reading of her letter at an awards ceremony at the Connecticut State Capitol April 26.

 

For the competition, students are asked to read a fiction or nonfiction book, book series, short story, poem, essay or speech (excluding song lyrics) and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Geena’s letter was addressed to the late Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of “When Breath Becomes Air.” Letters are judged on state and national levels. Tens of thousands of students from across the country enter Letters About Literature each year.

 

The University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, along with the Connecticut Writing Project and UConn’s Department of English, were the contest’s designated sponsors for the state of Connecticut for the 2018-2019 academic year.

 

Contest judges from Connecticut included current Neag teacher education students and teacher-consultants of the Connecticut Writing Project from across the state. The judges selected the best Letters About Literature submitted by Connecticut students at each of the three competition levels: level 1, grades 4-6; level 2, grades 7-8; and level 3, grades 9-12. Each Connecticut student chosen as a contest winner received a prize and state recognition. Their submissions will be considered for prizes at the national level.

 

The 2018-19 Letters About Literature 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.