Letters About Literature 2010-2011

Washington State's Letters About Literature 2010-2011

Letters About Literature encourages young readers to read a book and write a letter to the author about how the book changed their view of the world.  This is the sixth year Washington State Library has sponsored the competition as part of Washington Reads.

The entry deadline was December 10, 2010.  The Washington state winners will be announced in March of 2011.

Readers in grades 4-12 write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work shaped their perspective on the world or themselves.  Students can write about works of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.  Entries in Spanish will be accepted and translated for the Washington State judges.  State judges will select the top letter writers in Washington, who then advance to the national competition.

Letter writers compete at three levels:  Level I is grades 4-6; Level II is grades 7-8; and Level III is grades 9-12.  One letter from each level from each state is entered into the national competition.

Washington State Judges

Level I - Erica Bauermeister, Author, Seattle; Sydney Stevens, Author, Oysterville; Josh Westbrook, Prescott Library Manager, Walla Walla County Rural Library District, Walla Walla

Level II - Karen Cushman, Author, Vashon Island; Betty Gard, Retired University Librarian, Seattle; Patrick Roewe, Branch Services Manager, Spokane County Library District, Spokane

Level III - Brent Hartinger, Author, Seattle; Lorena O’English, Social Sciences Reference and Instruction Librarian, Washington State University, Pullman; Shirley Lewis, Acquisitions Librarian, Washington State Library, Tumwater

For more information about Washington’s Letters About Literature contest, please email to [email protected] or call Lori Thornton at 360-704-7135.

Letters About Literature is sponsored by the Washington State Library, Office of the Secretary of State, as part of Washington Reads.  Letters About Literature is also sponsored by The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and Target stores.

To read about Letters About Literature contest at the national level, please click here:
Letters About Literature – National Home Page
Letters About Literature – Center for the Book – Library of Congress

To learn about past Washington’s Letters About Literature contests including winners, annual award ceremonies, state winners, and to read the winning letters, please click on links below:

Washington's previous programs:
Washington's Letters About Literature 2005-2006
Washington's Letters About Literature 2006-2007
Washington's Letters About Literature 2007-2008
Washington’s Letters About Literature 2008-2009
Washington's Letters About Literature 2009-2010