December 5, 1997

Contact:
Press Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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Two Pennsylvania Colleges To Be Center For Book "Letters About Literature" Sponsors

King's College and Wilkes University, both in Wilkes- Barre, Penn., have agreed to provide student interns and office space for the logging in, screening, and judging of entries in the Center for the Book's "Letters About Literature" essay contest for 1998.

"The 'Letters About Literature' project is one of the Center for the Book's most successful projects and a key component in our current national 'Building a Nation of Readers' reading promotion campaign," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "We expect more than 10,000 essays this year, plus the involvement of 27 of our 34 affiliated state centers, so we are most grateful to King's College and Wilkes University for their help and sponsorship."

The "Letters About Literature" contest, also cosponsored with the Weekly Reader Corporation, invites students to write a letter to an author--living or dead-- explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world. Winners receive cash awards at the national and state levels. The contest includes elementary, junior, and senior high school students. Catherine Gouley is national project coordinator.

For a copy of the 1998 guidelines and an official entry coupon, teachers and students may call the Weekly Reader Corporation at (800) 446-3355. All contest entries must be submitted by March 1, 1998. The Center for the Book was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. For further information about the Center for the Book, its partnership programs, and its projects, visit the center on the World Wide Web at: http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/.

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PR 97-206
12/5/97
ISSN 0731-3527