The Long County Public Library held a short-story writing contest that ended in March. The winner, Long County resident Marcia Futch, received a prize and was congratulated by library board of trustees Chairman Joe Sullivan.
“The library is working hard to find ways to engage Long County in activities at the library. April is National Poetry Month, so to celebrate it, we are hosting another contest this month,” Sullivan said.
Children, teens and adults are invited to enter the Long County library’s poetry contest, which has been divided into four age groups: 8-10 years, 11-13 years, 14-18 years and 19 years and older.
Poems should stick to the themes “Why I Love My Library” or “What I love About My Library,” and may be in any style. Entries must be in good taste, suitable for the library and appropriate for audiences of all ages. Only one entry per participant will be accepted. Poems must be original compositions in English, written by the submitting poet and may not be submitted without the poet’s knowledge or consent. Do not submit previously published works or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Poems may be decorated with artwork or printed in different fonts, if desired. Participants should include their name, telephone number and age (those older than 18 should write “19+”) on the back of the poem.
“We would like to engage the whole community in our events, programs and contests. This poetry contest in recognition of National Poetry Month is one way we hope to meet that goal,” Long County Public Library board member Brent Klinedinst said. “This is a great way to showcase the diverse talent our residents have and support our local library.”
Submissions must be received by May 10 to be considered. A $25 store gift card will be given to the winner of each age group.
A panel of judges will determine the winners based on originality, use of poetic devices and overall impression of how well the poem expresses the theme. All poems will be displayed in the library the week of May 19-24. Winning entries will appear on the library’s Facebook page. All poetry submitted for this contest may be used by the Long County Public Library for display or publicity purposes.
The library is open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays. The library is closed Sundays.
For more information, call the library at 545-2521.