BP MARKOWITZ ANNOUNCES 6TH ANNUAL “BROOKLYN LIT MATCH” TEEN WRITING CONTEST
Student competition held in conjunction with Brooklyn Book Festival, September 18

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz invites Brooklyn high school students to submit stories, poems, essays, spoken word and raps for the 6th annual “Brooklyn Lit Match” teen writing contest, a competition held in conjunction with the Brooklyn Book Festival, scheduled for Sunday, September 18, 2011. The winning submissions will be published in a book and the first place winner will receive a laptop computer. All high school students attending school in Brooklyn or who live in Brooklyn are welcome to submit.

The theme of this year’s contest is Brooklyn ReACT. Students are asked to write on the following:

Theme: From schoolyards and social networking sites to the larger political world, there is a spectrum of people who threaten, oppress and bully. Why do some people torment others? What makes bullies stop or not? What can others do? Tell us a story about bullying. You can invent a story with fictional characters and a made-up setting, or you can tell it straight from your own life. Who are the characters and where do they come from? What do they do and how do others respond?

A committee of publishers, editors and literary agents will select 10 finalists, including a first place winner. The finalists will be invited to read their work at the Brooklyn Book Festival on September 18. Their work will be professionally edited and published in an anthology to be released by Akashic Books.

Entries are due by June 27, 2011, can be typed or handwritten, and should not exceed 2,000 words. They can be written in any form: a story, poem, essay, or rap. Please include a cover sheet with your name, address, school, principal, age and telephone number. There is no fee to enter, and you must be a high schooler either living in Brooklyn or attending a Brooklyn high school at the time of submission.

Entries should be sent to Brooklyn Book Festival Lit Match, Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 or e-mailed to ekoch@brooklynbp.nyc.gov.  Any questions regarding the writing competition can be directed to Liz Koch at 718-802-3852.