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2022

Press Release - PA Center for the Book announces winners of 2022 Wordstruck Micro Essay contest

 

2021

PA Center for the Book seeks submissions for 2022 Wordstruck Micro Essay contest
Pennsylvania students in Grades 10-12 invited to submit essays through Dec. 17

November 01, 2021  

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —The Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s third annual contest, 2022 Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You, invites Pennsylvania students in Grades 10-12 to submit an essay of 300-500 words that describes how a self-selected piece of literature redefined their behavior, attitude, worldview, and/or personal perspective.

One winner will be awarded a $250 prize. Second and third place winners will receive $150 and $100, respectively. In 2021, first and second places were awarded to students from the Pennsylvania cities of Churchville and Pittsburgh for their essays in response to “Divergent” by Veronica Roth and “Call Me By Your Name” by André Aciman. Find these winning essays on the Wordstruck webpage.

A new Micro Essay Lesson Plan has also been developed by the Center’s Curriculum Specialist, Erica King, to support the development of writing concepts related to this contest, such as “precision of language” and the “recursive processes” of freewriting, review, and revision. It is designed for high school students and includes in-depth exercises for composing short form nonfiction.

Submissions for the 2022 Wordstruck contest will be accepted online only during the submission period, from now through Dec. 17. For official submission guidelines, please visit the Wordstruck section of the How to Submit page on the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress. It encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy.

In addition to administering Wordstruck, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book administers the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, the Public Poetry Project, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, Poems from Life, Words of Art, the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania, and Curricula & Teaching Materials. The Center’s public initiatives provide access to content that includes poetry posters, live and recorded presentations, lesson plans, reviews, and more.

For additional information about the Wordstruck contest, visit the Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You page of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.

Penn State News

 

2021

Pa. Center for the Book announces 2021 Wordstruck Micro Essay contest winner 
August 09, 2021

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “What is stopping me from chasing my dreams?” asks rising 11th grader, Faith Elia of Churchville, Pennsylvania, in her essay, “Divergent.” This first-place essay explores how the novel of the same title by Veronica Roth inspired Elia to take risks in embracing her differences and independence despite fears in the 2021 Wordstruck Micro Essay contest.

Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You is an essay contest administered by the Pennsylvania (PA) Center for the Book for 10th-to-12th-grade Pennsylvanians and it invites writers to describe how a self-selected piece of literature redefined their behavior, attitude, worldview, and/or personal perspective.

Elia submitted her essay as part of classwork assigned by Council Rock High School South English teacher, Rhonda Sharp. As this year’s first-place winner, Elia will be awarded $350.

Also being recognized is second place winner, Haley Qin of Pittsburgh for her essay “Layers Upon Layers” about the novel “Call Me by Your Name” by André Aciman. She writes that this novel taught her to consider “the fragmented stories that make up everyone’s current chapter” with deeper empathy.

Qin is a graduate of Upper Saint Clair High School and bound for Cornell University. She will be awarded $150 for her second place essay.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s 2021 Wordstruck contest state judges included:

  • Emily R. Aguilo-Perez, assistant professor of English - Children's Literature, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania
     
  • Carolyn Cook, associate professor of education and department chair, Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg, Maryland, and resident of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
     
  • Marjorie Maddox Hafer, poet, author, and professor of English and creative writing, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
     
  • Theresa M. Hoover, assistant professor of education, Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Bernadette A. Lear, affiliate faculty, Penn State Education Library and PA Center for the Book - University Park, and reference librarian - Penn State Harrisburg, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The PA Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress. It encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy.

In addition to the Wordstruck contest, the PA Center for the Book administers the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, the Public Poetry Project, Words of Art, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, Poems from Life, and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania.

For more information about the Wordstruck contest, visit the Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You page of the PA Center for the Book website.

Penn State News

 

2020

Pa. Center for the Book seeks submissions for Wordstruck Micro Essay contest 
November 11, 2020

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s second annual contest, "2021 Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You," invites Pennsylvania students in grades 10-12 to submit a 200-350-word essay that describes how a self-selected piece of literature redefined their behavior, attitude, worldview, and/or personal perspective.

One winner will be awarded a $250 prize. Second and third place winners will receive $150 and $100, respectively. Last year, students from the Pennsylvania cities of Newtown and Indiana were recognized for their essays in response to poetry by Christopher Marlowe, fiction by Fredrik Backman, and nonfiction by Audre Lorde; these 2020 winning essays can be read on the Wordstruck webpage.

Submissions for the 2021 Wordstruck contest will be accepted online only during the submission period, from Dec. 1, 2020, to Apr. 9, 2021.

For official submission guidelines, please visit the Wordstruck section of the "How to Submit" page on the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to Wordstruck, it also administers the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize; Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award; Public Poetry Project; A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy; Poems from Life; Words of Art; and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania.

For more information about the Wordstruck contest, visit the "Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You" page of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.

Penn State News

 

2020

Pa. Center for the Book announces 2020 Wordstruck Micro Essay inaugural winner
July 13, 2020

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, sponsored by Penn State University Libraries, has announced the 2020 winners of the inaugural Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You. Wordstruck is an essay contest for Pennsylvania students in grades 10 to 12 that invites participants to describe how a self-selected piece of literature redefined their behavior, attitude, world view, and/or personal perspective.

This year’s winner is 12th-grader Madeline Wray of Newtown, Pennsylvania, who is being awarded $250 for her essay "Beautifully Mundane" about the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe.

Also being recognized are honorees: 12th-grader Angela Shen of Newtown, Pennsylvania, who will be awarded $150 for her second-place essay, "The Sound of Skates on Ice," about the novel "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman; and 12th-grader India Krug of Indiana, Pennsylvania, who will be awarded $100 for her third-place essay, "The Moment When Female Empowerment Hit Me Upside the Head," about "Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches" by Audre Lorde.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s 2020 Wordstruck contest judges included Linda Oatman High, author of books for children and teens, journalist and playwright, Narvon, Pennsylvania; Theresa M. Hoover, assistant professor of education, Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; Pat Hughes, author of books for children and young adults, Narberth, Pennsylvania; Marjorie Maddox Hafer, poet, author, and professor of english and creative writing, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania; and Emily R. Aguilo-Perez, assistant professor of english – children's literature, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania. 

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to Wordstruck, it also administers the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize; Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award; Public Poetry Project; A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy; Poems from Life; Words of Art; and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania.

For more information about the Wordstruck contest, visit the Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You page of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.

Penn State News