Letters about Literature, June 1, 2008
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A national reading & writing promotion program for children and young adults.
(approx 1hr 4min 18sec)

The national essay contest, Letters About Literature (LAL), inspired 1865 students from Connecticut’s elementary, middle, and high schools to each write a letter to an author—living or deceased—explaining how that author’s work somehow changed the student’s life. Most of the state’s 105 winners and finalists were at Hartford Public Library for their awards ceremony on Sunday, June 1.

This national reading and writing promotion program for children and young adults is presented by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores, and sponsored in cooperation with the Connecticut Center for the Book, a program of Hartford Public Library. Connecticut’s participation is made possible in part by support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

All essays are sent to a central location in Pennsylvania to be screened by readers assembled by a national coordinator; semi-finalists are culled and then forwarded to state Centers to determine finalists and winners. This year’s judges for Connecticut were: Susan Campbell, Luis Cotto, Terese Karmel, Kathy Megan, Anita Riggio, Pegi Deitz Shea, Tom Smith, Suzanne Staubach, and Kendall Wiggin.

The guest speaker for this year’s awards ceremony was Connecticut author and illustrator Barbara McClintock, whose Adèle and Simon won the 2007 Connecticut Book Award for Children’s Illustrator. She delighted the audience by relating her early fascination with comic books, particularly Hanna-Barbera’s Top Cat.

Each finalist received a certificate of achievement from the Connecticut Center for the Book. First Place winners also received $100, and a $50 Target Gift Card; Second and Third Place winners received $50 and $25, respectively. Winners’ essays and a list of all finalists will be posted on the Connecticut Center for the Book Web site at www.hplct.org/cfb/lal.htm.

Following distribution of the Connecticut winners’ and finalists’ awards and certificates, seventh grader Anna Rodis of Irving A. Robbins Middle School in Farmington accepted a $10,000 reading promotion grant for her school’s library as one of six national LAL winners. This presentation was orchestrated by Target, the corporate sponsor. Erin Dyer, Target District Team Lead for Connecticut, gave the check to Anna and her Language Arts teacher, Elizabeth Smith; Anna also received a $500 Target Gift Card for her personal use.

Target, along with its parent company Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), gives back more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs .