Westlake Writers Recognized in Ohio Library of Congress Letter Writing Contest

Alexis Hamilton, Xiomara Flores, Natalie Farrag, Ashley Rocky and Kylie King were named semifinalists in the Ohio Library of Congress Letters About Literature Contest.

Five Lee Burneson Middle School students were named semifinalists in Ohio in the Library of Congress’ Letters About Literature Contest.

Deb Schrembeck’s Language Arts classes participated in the reading and writing contest. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels.

Five seventh-grade students earned semifinalist certificates for Ohio for their letters:

• Ashley Rocky wrote to R.J. Palacio, author of “Wonder”
• Xiomara Flores wrote to Jennifer Jacobson, author of “Paper Things”
• Kylie King wrote to R.J. Palacio, author of “Wonder”
• Natalie Farrag wrote to Raina Telgemeier, author of “Ghosts”
• Alexis Hamilton wrote to Dan Gemeinhart, author of “The Honest Truth”

Last year in Ohio, 1,340 letters were received from grades 4-12 students from 12 counties. The top 20 percent are selected as state finalists. Nationally, about 8,000 letters make it to state-level judging.

Only first-place state winners advance to national competition. Judges include authors, publishers, librarians and educators from all 50 states. All of the state finalist letters will be forwarded to living authors in hopes of a personal reply. Tens of thousands of students from across the country enter the Letters About Literature contest each year. National winners will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in May.