Drum roll, please....We have our writing contest winner!

Hello, readers!

November is not just the month where men have an excuse to grow horrid mustaches (claiming it's "Movember" or "No-Shave November"). No, November is also National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. In honor of NaNoWriMo, we'd like to publish a fabulous short story by a fabulously talented young writer. This story is the winner of CCPL's 2012 Short Story Writing Contest for Teens (earning a $25 Visa Gift Card!). Check it out, then check out NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program and start writing your own novel!

The Library Hermit

by Chloe W.

Prologue

 

 

The library is full of secrets.

 

Some people might think it merely a building full of books. Dull, dusty, and old. But someone taught me the truth: a library is a place of magic. Within the walls and aisles and pages there lies a world of stories where you can find love, adventure, and home when you need it most.

Let me tell you a story of my own, about the extraordinary girl I met there and the world that she showed me.

 

Summer Short Story Writing Contest!

CCPL’s TEEN Underground presents…

SUMMER SHORT STORY Writing CONTEST!!

Click to enter our teen Summer Reading contest!

WHO:  Charleston County residents ages 12 to 18.

 WHAT: Your fabulous writing. Send us your very best short story. It should be a complete story written in 1,000 to 8,000 words. Here’s the rub: Your story must involve a library. Any library. Anywhere. In any manner, large or small. But your story must include the word library at least twice.

Want a little camaraderie for this adventure? Join the Underground Writers club on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Main Library.

WHEN:  Deadline for submissions is August 10. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 22!

Author Interview: Jenny Hubbard of PAPER COVERS ROCK

(Updated with new pics at the bottom!)

Jenny Hubbard

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

JENNY HUBBARD

We loved meeting Jenny Hubbard when she visited the Main library—almost as we enjoyed Paper Covers Rock, her beautiful debut novel that has won numberous national awards and an endorsement from mega-author Pat Conroy. Luckily, she answer a few questions for those who didn't get to meet her:



Paper Covers Rock is your first novel. How did you come up with the idea for it?

If you want to get technical about it, it’s my third novel. The first two are in a drawer in a folder marked, “Burn in the event of my death.” But, yes, it is my first published novel. The germ of Paper Covers Rock began with a terrible true story I heard while I was teaching at a boys’ boarding school, one that had nothing to do with boys or schools. That terrible true story is no longer a part of the novel. Funny how that happens. I taught at the boys’ school for 10 years, and when I started there, I was the only single female teacher. I taught poetry, and I read the sometimes great and terrifying work of my students day in and day out. Although my story is not at all Miss Dovecott’s, I can relate to and empathize with her plight.

YALLFest brings top YA authors to town

Updated with YALLFest schedule and YA Smackdown info! 

YA Superstars Descend on Charleston

Here at the library, our hearts are beating super fast. Why? We've learned which bestselling YA authors are coming to Charleston in November for YALLFest 2011! Thanks to Beautiful Creatures authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the list includes such megastars as Ellen Hopkins, David Levithan, Heather Brewer, and Melissa de la Cruz.

Major thanks to Jonathan Sanchez of Blue Bicycle Books, who is hosting the event!

CCPL is thrilled to be a partner...check out the FULL SCHEDULE HERE!

It's Wicked, It's Sexy...It's a Poem?

Warning: This Is Not Grandma's Poetry!



April is National Poetry Month -- and, sure, we love Poe and Frost and Longfellow. But let's talk modern poetry, stuff written for today's teens about today's issues -- friend drama, drugs, divorce, meltdowns, crushes, exams, peer pressure and even fun, fun, fun!

In poetry, it's all fair game. Whatever you're dealing with, there's a poem just for you. Plus, writing poetry is a great way to get down -- and get out -- whatever is on your mind.

Click on any title to learn more...



Slam

Edited by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Poetry is cooler than ever, whether it's Maya Angelou or W. B. Yeats, Tupac Shakur or Sylvia Plath. As proof, Slams -- spoken word poetry readings -- are taking place in cities across the country. Check out this collection edited by the Gossip Girl series' author.