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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Letters About Literature 2017-2018

It’s Letters About Literature time again!

Mississippi's 2016-2017 Letters About Literature winners
Letters About Literature is a state and national writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Each student is encouraged to write a letter to the author of their favorite book explaining how the book changed their life, changed their outlook, or helped them through a hard time. It’s a personal letter, not an essay, so students can feel free to express how they feel!

There are three age categories:
  • Level 1: grades 4-6
  • Level 2: grades 7-8
  • Level 3: grades 9-12
Letters are due by December 9.

Statewide prizes are as follows:
  • First place (for each of the three age levels): $100
  • Second place (for each of the three age levels): $75
  • Third place (for each of the three age levels): $50
First place winners move on to national judging. National prizes are $1,000 for first place in each of the three age levels and $200 for Honor Winners in each of the three age levels.

Mississippi's 2015-2016 Letters About Literature winners
The 25th annual writing 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. Statewide, this contest is made possible by the Mississippi Library Commission, the Mississippi Center for the Book, and the Friends of Mississippi Libraries.

Teachers, librarians, and parents, please share this information widely! Additional information and entry coupons can be found here. We can’t wait to read your students’ letters!

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Storytelling Through a Lens



I'm a movie buff... always have been. I remember seeing Gone with the Wind with my folks when I was a child; when Clark Gable first came on screen all the women in the audience gasped. For a film created in the 1930s it was beautifully done, despite its somewhat distasteful story line. That experience stuck with me; not the story, but how the imagery and music made me feel. Films do that to us. They invoke our inner-most feelings, whether good or bad.

Today, filmmaking has become something that anyone can do thanks to the technologies most of us are afforded. Just pick up your iPhone and you too can tell a story. Most folks do it all the time and don't even realize it. They film their dog or their grandchildren doing the cute things they do and post it on Instagram or Facebook. They are telling a story through film.

Now imagine an important topic or passion that you want to share. Put a little more planning into the message and it can become a story told through film. Who could be a part of the film to properly convey your story? What location would make the most sense to serve as your backdrop? Now take that iPhone and get these images and interviews on camera. There is even simple software on your iPhone that will allow you to edit and add music. Now you have something that can truly achieve benefits for your passion projects.

My class partner, David Rae Morris, and me shooting our film
Drawing on a Dream featuring deceased Delta artist, Duff Durrough
In 2011, I had the pleasure of attending a month-long workshop in Clarksdale to learn about documentary filmmaking by the talented folks of Barefoot Workshops. It was a transformative experience for me. I learned the power of storytelling through the lens. I also learned to tell a compelling story in the time it takes for someone to sit down, turn on their computer, and drink a cup of coffee. In this day and age, instant and quick messages are the most effective.

I encourage librarians to use these tools to share the stories of their outstanding work. I have traveled across the state and have seen first-hand the dynamic, life-changing programs going on. Let's get these on film and share them with lawmakers and stakeholders. We need decision-makers to know how valuable libraries are to Mississippi communities.

I'm grateful that my chosen profession has allowed me the opportunity to see some interesting places, to meet some great folks, and to be able to tell their story through my lens. Too bad Clark Gable is no longer with us... it would have been really fun to make women gasp!

Visit MLC's YouTube channel to check out the stories we've told through film. Look for more to come very soon.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Sign up for a Library Card with the Teen Titans

This year the American Library Association teamed up with the Teen Titans to promote library card sign-up month for 2017. The Teen Titans are a group of young crime fighting superheroes featured in the DC comics. 

Here are some books that we think the members of Teen Titan would check out at the library. 


Raven:
http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/Raven
Raven loves to read and is a fan of all things creepy. Her powers and abilities include empathy and telekinesis.

Library books:  
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Adventure Time: Marceline and the Scream Queens by Meredith Gran
Carrie by Stephen King













Kid Flash: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_West_II
Kid Flash is known for his wit and love for racing. He has enhanced strength and endurance.

Library books:
Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography by Usain Bolt
Zero World by Jason M. Hough
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire













Beast Boy:
http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/Beast_Boy
Beast Boy like playing video games and joking around. He has the ability to shapeshift into any animal and is a quick thinker.

Library books:
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Destroyer by Victor LaValle and Dietrich Smith
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline













Starfire:
http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/Starfire
Starfire likes drinking mustard and lifting weights. Her powers are ultraviolet energy projection and superhuman strength.

Library books:
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Avatar: The Last Airbender by Gene Luen Yan
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie








Robin:
http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/Robin
Robin likes actions movies and martial arts. His abilities include detective work and acrobats.

Library books:
Onepunch-Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
A Study of Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle










What kinds of books do you think the members of Teen Titan would check out with their library card? Head to your local public library to get a library card and join the Teen Titans with an armful of good books.
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