Letters About Literature award winners announced

The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana announced the 2014 winners of the annual Letters About Literature contest, a national reading-writing competition that asks students to write a personal letter to an author or poet, living or dead, explaining how that writer's work impacted the students’ life or worldview.

Two students from Episcopal School of Acadiana received awards out of 198 Louisiana entries.

The 2014 winners from throughout the state are:


Level I (grades 3–5) first place, Peter Menard, Episcopal School of Acadiana and second place Emily Adcock, Lakewood Elementary, Luling;

            Level II (grades 6–8) first place, Ewan Todt-Tutchener, Episcopal School of Acadiana; second place, Marcus Lewis, Lusher Charter School, New Orleans and third place, Celeste Mercadel, Lusher Charter School, New Orleans;

            Level III (grades 9–12) first place, Hayden Brewster, St. Paul’s School, Covington and second place, Ashton Van Deventer, St. Paul’s School, Covington.

              State winners will be recognized at the Louisiana Book Festival on Oct. 31. Winners will be awarded $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place, made possible by a Library of Congress grant. Louisiana’s first place winners’ entries have been submitted to the Library of Congress for the national competition.
              To read the winners’ letters visit here. Letters About Literature is presented in partnership with the Library of Congress Center for the Book and the Louisiana Writing Project.

Louisiana Book News is written by Cheré Coen, the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “ExploringCajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.