Aspiring Morgan County authors still have time to submit their work to become Morgan County’s Author of the Year.
The annual Friends of the Library “Author of the Year” contest allows local writers to submit their work in short prose and poetry.
Jacksonville Public Library Head Librarian Jake Magnusson says the contest is open to all Morgan County residents aged 16 and older: “You can submit in either category or both categories if you like to write fiction and poetry or non-fiction – whatever you like to write. We have entry forms here [at the library]. They are also available at Our Town Books. All entries are going to be due back on March 22nd. We’ve got cash prizes that have been provided by the Farmer’s State Bank & Trust Company. We’re pretty excited about that.”
Residents of Morgan County, as well as full-time students at Illinois College, Lincoln Land Community College, or area high schools are all free to enter the contest.
Contestants cannot be affiliated with the Jacksonville Public Library as employees, board members, or family members thereof. Winners of a category may not enter the same category for a period of two years.
Magnusson says the winners will be announced at the Friends of the Library meeting on Thursday, April 18th: “It’s always a fun time. We will have people in the community who are interested in reading their writing to kind of show what they can do and then the Friends have a big get-together after the winners have been announced. The winners, get to choose to if they are able, to read their work for an audience.”
The Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering closer relationships between the library and the community.
The group works to provide financial support to the library as well as encouraging the library’s use as a center for educational, cultural, and civic life; and assist in improving and expanding the library’s facilities, resources, and services.
To find out more about the Morgan County Author of the Year contest or to become a Friend of the Jacksonville Public Library, log on to jaxpl.org or stop by the library located at 201 West College Avenue in Jacksonville.