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An affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress

  
 

PROJECTS

Essays about Lincoln
 

Entry Forms and Guidelines

Essays About Lincoln is a one-time statewide reading and writing contest celebrating the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth - February 12, 2009. The program is a joint effort of the Illinois State Archives, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois State Library in partnership with the Illinois Center for the Book.

Essays About Lincoln invites students in grades 5 - 12 to:

  • read the Gettysburg Address
  • be inspired by imagining themselves in Lincoln's place when he wrote the Gettysburg Address
  • write their own version of the Gettysburg Address telling what their ideals are for a nation of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity in a concise essay (no more than 300 words) like Lincoln.

The deadline to enter is May 31, 2008. Students can enter through their school, library, adolescent groups or individually.

Essays About Lincoln has been endorsed by both the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

 

Illinois Emerging Writers Competition
The purpose of the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is to promote creative writing, encourage local writers and provide a unique opportunity and outlet for recognizing new literary talent. Winners receive cash prizes and have their works submitted for review and possible publication in the Illinois literary magazines -- Another Chicago Magazine, Downstate Story, Ninth Letter and RHINO.
 
In 2005, the first year of the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition, the competition was solely dedicated to poetry. After the first year, the Illinois Center for the Book partnered with the James Jones Literary Society to offer a short story award as well as a poetry award. Thanks to generous funding from the James Jones Literary Society, the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition now offers two awards - the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award and the James Jones Short Story Award.

Judging for the competition is blind and tiered. Several literary professionals donate their time and talent to the judging process. Heartfelt thanks goes out to our tier judges which include: Nancy Claypool, Dwight Connelly, Dr. Alice Cox, Kim Cox, Ray Elliott, Robert Fox, Helen Howe, Allan Johnston, Judy Jordan, Anne Krueger, Marcellus J. Leonard, Elise Miller, Rashidad Muhammad, Rosina Neginsky, Lee Newton, Julie Parson-Nesbitt, Diane Reed, Cin Salach, Christy Stillwell, Christine Swanberg, Annette Van Dyke and Gale Walden.

Special thanks also goes out to our final judges for each competition. Both have welcomed the challenge of the role and have added credence to the competition. Their dedication to the written word and the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is greatly appreciated. Our most humble thanks go out to our final judges: Illinois Poet Laureate, Kevin Stein for the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award and Kaylie Jones, the accomplished writer and daughter of celebrated Illinois author James Jones for the James Jones Short Story Award.

The competition is open to writers age18 and over who have not yet published a book. Each year, information about the annual competition is available by late February with the deadline being the last business day of June for that given year. Winners are announced at the end of October and the awards ceremony takes place before the end of the year. All winners receive a plaque and a cash prize.

If you have any questions about the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition, please contact Bonnie Matheis, the Coordinator of the Illinois Center for the Book.

2008 Illinois Emerging Writers Competition
 
The 2008 Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is currently underway. The deadline to enter is June 30, 2008. Winners of each division will receive a plaque and a cash prize - $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place and $100 for 3rd place. For additional information, please refer to the guidelines linked below or contact Bonnie Matheis, the Coordinator of the Illinois Center for the Book.
 
2008 Forms and Guidelines
2008 Promotional Flyer
 

2007 Illinois Emerging Writers Competition Winners

James Jones Short Story Award winners

  • 1st place - Lorie Kolak of Chicago for her story Her Terrible Singing Voice and Love of Singing
  • 2nd place - Andrew Gregory Krzak of New Lenox for his story 24 Frames
  • 3rd place - Joseph A. Woods of Park Forest for his story Black Shines

Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award winners

 

2006 Competition Update
 

Congratulations to 2006 winners Anthony Coman of DeKalb and Susan Srikant of Urbana. Both of their winning entries are being published.

Anthony was the 1st place winner of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award. His winning poem titled House will be published by RHINO magazine. Look for Anthony's poem in the April 2008 Edition of RHINO.

Susan was the 3rd place winner of the James Jones Short Story Award. Her wining story titled My Arrival in Horseshoe, Nevada will be published by Downstate Story magazine. Look for Susan’s story in Volume 16 of the 2007 Edition of Downstate Story.

To read Anthony's and Susan's award-winning works, click on their names in the winners box below.
 

2006 Winners

James Jones
Short Story Award		 Gwendolyn Brooks
Poetry Award

2005 Winners and Poems

Illinois Authors Directory (New! Searchable Database)

A database of Illinois writers - past and present, popular and unsung - and their published works. The Web site features biographical information and extensive bibliographies. 

Illinois Literary Heritage Award

 

The Illinois Literary Heritage Award was established by the Illinois Center for the Book in 1995. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge extraordinary contributions to the literary heritage of Illinois over a significant period of time. In order to be considered for the Illinois Literary Heritage Award, all recipients must meet the following criteria:

  1. The recipient must have an Illinois connection.
  2. The recipient may be a publisher, author, library or other entity.
  3. The recipient shall meet one or more of the following criteria:
    • Made a significant contribution to the literary culture of Illinois by publishing a body of work, or enhancing literary culture through a unique venture, or by collecting and storing a literary body of work related to Illinois and its history and heritage.
    • Made a significant contribution to promote books, book arts, libraries, reading and/or the literary heritage of Illinois
    • Made a significant contribution to support the projects of the Illinois Center for the Book

No more than one award will be made per calendar year and the award need not be presented annually. The award is a commemorative plaque. For questions or additional information about the Illinois Literary Heritage Award, please contact the Coordinator of the Illinois Center for the Book (bmatheis at ilsos.net).

Recipients

2006 Louis "Studs" Terkel, Illinois author, historian, radio and television broadcast personality.
2000 Diana Haskell, Lloyd Lewis Curator of the Midwest Manuscripts at the Newberry Library in Chicago.
1999 Carus Publishing Company, Peru, Illinois for publishing numerous exceptional magazines for children.
1998 Cyrus Colter, Illinois author and educator.
1997 University of Illinois Press, Champaign, Illinois for the Prairie State Book Project.
1996 Angela Jackson, Illinois author, poet and playwright
1995 John Knoepfle, Illinois poet and essayist.
 

A national reading and writing promotion for children and young adults sponsored by the Illinois Center for the Book in cooperation with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target.

 

The contest invites 4th - 12th grade students to read a book that interests them and write a letter to the author explaining how the book changed their view of the world or themselves.

 

The contest consists of three competition levels - Level I for grades 4 - 6, Level II for grades 7 & 8 and Level III for grades 9 - 12. One state winner is chosen for each level. State level winners are forwarded to the national competition where six national winners (two at each level) and twelve national honorable mentions (four at each level) are selected.

 

Students can enter Letters About Literature individually, through classroom or library participation. The current entry form and guidelines can be accessed online below. If you have questions or want to be included on the mailing list, please contact Bonnie Matheis at the Illinois Center for the Book at bmatheis@ilsos.net.

Information about the 2008 Program

Informational packs will be mailed out to Illinois schools in early September 2007. The 2008 form and guidelines are accessible online below. The deadline to enter the 2008 competition is December 14, 2007. State winners will be announced in March 2008 and national winners will be announced in May 2008.

NEW for 2008!! Target and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress have implemented a couple of exciting changes on the national level. Starting this year, an honorable mentions category has also been added at the national level and the prizes for the national winners have also been updated. Each of the six national winners will receive a $500 Target gift card along with a $10,000 grant for their school or community library for reading promotion for children and young adults. The national honorable mentions will receive a $100 Target gift card with $1,000 grant for their school or community library.

Information about the 2008 Program

Information about the 2007 Program

Information about previous Program Winners

Previous State and National Winners 2000 -- 2006
 Read about Mitchell Deck, 2005 National Winner, from Peoria, Illinois and the other national winners in Target's promotional piece Letters About Literature 2005: Celebrating the 2005 National Winners.
Read Mitchell's Letter to Keith Brandt, author of Lou Gehrig - Pride of the Yankees

 

 
Literary Landmarks

In the endeavor to promote the rich literary heritage of Illinois, the Illinois Center for the Book has partnered with Friends Of Libraries USA (FOLUSA -- http://www.folusa.org/) and other organizations to dedicate Literary Landmarks in Illinois.

The Literary Landmarks Association was founded in 1986 by former FOLUSA president Frederick G. Ruffner to encourage the dedication of historic literary sites. In 1989, the Literary Landmark project became an official FOLUSA committee. There have been over 60 Literary Landmark dedications since the inception of the association that have included homes of famous writers, libraries and museum collections, literary scenes and author inspirations, etc. all over the country. Click here to see a list of FOLUSA Literary Landmark dedications by year (http://www.folusa.org/outreach/landmarks-year.php).

Local groups may apply to dedicate a Literary Landmark through FOLUSA. When an appropriate landmark is identified, the sponsoring group plans a dedication ceremony and applies to FOLUSA for official recognition. Click here for full details of planning a Literary Landmark dedication through FOLUSA (http://www.folusa.org/resources/html-versions/fact-sheet-12.php).

The mission of the Illinois Center for the Book is to celebrate the printed word and to create an environment that promotes reading, the book arts and an appreciation of the state's rich literary heritage. The dedication of Literary Landmarks that highlight the work of Illinois authors increases the awareness of Illinois' rich literary heritage and the Illinois Center for the Book wants to see that Literary Landmarks of Illinois authors are made available to the people of Illinois.

FOLUSA suggests that local groups interested in dedicating a Literary Landmark contact other interested organizations for co-sponsorships. If you have a group that is interested in dedicating a Literary Landmark of an Illinois author through FOLUSA, the Illinois Center for the Book will be interested in participating in a partnership/co-sponsorship with your group. For additional information or questions, please contact the Coordinator of the Illinois Center for the Book (bmatheis at ilsos.net).

Illinois Center for the Book & FOLUSA Literary Landmark Partnerships

June 23, 2005 - Union Stockyard Gate
This Union Stockyard Gate commemorates the centennial of the novel, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. The book exposed the unsanitary conditions of the meatpacking industry and is said to have influenced President Theodore Roosevelt in passing the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. The novel chronicles Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, in his quest for the American Dream in the filthy Chicago stockyards. Partners: FOLUSA, Illinois Center for the Book, the Lithuanian American Council, the Food and Drug Administration, Union Food and Commercial Workers, and the Weidman Family.

2000 - Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library
The Hall Branch Library, located in historic Bronzeville, was named in honor of Dr. George Cleveland Hall, a renowned surgeon, social activist and civic leader who was the second African American to serve on the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors. Dr. Hall played a vital role in connecting the African-American community with resources needed to learn, live, thrive and work by convincing a generous philanthropist to support the library by donating funds to purchase the property for a proposed library to serve a predominately large African-American community located on the south side of Chicago. The Hall Branch opened to the public on January 18, 1932, under the direction of Vivian Harsh, the first African American librarian in the Chicago Public Library. During the 1930's and 40's Hall Branch served as a meeting place for young writers such as Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Zora Neale Hurston and Claude McKay. FOLUSA and Illinois Center for the Book designated the library a literary landmark because of its close association with distinguished African-American authors and writers.

July 21, 1999 - Ernest Hemingway Birthplace
 On the centennial of writer Ernest Hemingway's birth, the Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, Illinois, celebrated the occasion with a four-day conference and rededication of the restored Hemingway birthplace in Oak Park. As part of the rededication, FOLUSA and the Illinois Center for the Book, designated the home a literary landmark and presented the Hemingway Foundation with a plaque to be placed on the home.
 

If you would like additional information about any of the activities of the Illinois Center for the Book, please contact Bonnie Matheis, the Coordinator for the Illinois Center for the Book at 217-558-2065.