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Literacy Awards Opens for Fifth Round of Applications

Posted by: John Sayers

(The following is a guest post by Guy Lamolinara, communications officer in the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.) Three awards totaling $250,000 are being offered for the fifth year in a row by the Library of Congress Literacy Awards program. Applications are due no later than March 31 at midnight EST. …

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Stephen King Joins Library in Announcing Applications for the 2017 Literacy Awards

Posted by: Erin Allen

Award-winning author and literacy advocate Stephen King helped the Library of Congress today launch its call for nominations for the 2017 Library of Congress Literacy Awards. The annual awards support organizations working to promote literacy, both in the United States and worldwide, and are made possible through the generosity of David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and …

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New Online: The Walt Whitman Papers in the Charles E. Feinberg Collection

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following was written by Barbara Bair, historian in the Library’s Manuscript Division.) As a special collections repository, the Library of Congress holds the largest collection of Walt Whitman materials anywhere in the world. The Manuscript Division has already made available online the Thomas Biggs Harned Collection of Walt Whitman Papers and the Walt Whitman …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Highlighting the Holidays: Under the Mistletoe

Posted by: Erin Allen

The holidays are full of many traditions – gift giving, sending cards, singing and cooking. Also kissing. If ever there was a time to pucker up, it’s in December, underneath the mistletoe. Washington Irving wrote in the 1800s, “young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under [mistletoe], plucking each time a berry from …

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Support the 2017 Book Festival

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post from Sue Siegel, director of development at the Library of Congress.) To Stephen King, the master of horror, a truly frightening scenario is the emergence of a world of non-readers. King, a champion of literacy recognized by the Library of Congress, says that reading is critical to opening up …

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The Power of Photography

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a feature story from the November/December 2016 Library of Congress Magazine, LCM, that was written by Helena Zinkham, director of the Library’s Collections and Services Directorate and chief of the Prints and Photographs Division. You can read the issue in its entirety here.)  What do Marilyn Monroe, Civil War soldiers and the Wright Brothers …

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Gwen Ifill, a History-Tracker and a HistoryMaker

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Those who appreciate high-quality broadcast news were saddened today to learn of the passing of longtime PBS NewsHour co-host and Washington Week moderator Gwen Ifill. The former New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News political, congressional and White House reporter, 61, had been under treatment for cancer. She and her NewsHour co-host Judy Woodruff …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Writing the Great Novel

Posted by: Erin Allen

November is National Novel Writing Month. Perhaps you’ve heard of, or even signed up for, the NaNoWriMo movement. Encouraging individuals to write and complete a 50,000-word novel from November 1-30, the nonprofit movement provides support, inspiration and community for budding writers to pick up that pen or open that laptop. To date, more than 9 …

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Pic of the Week: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Posted by: Erin Allen

New York Times bestselling children’s author Jeff Kinney stopped by the Library of Congress on Tuesday to launch his world tour and debut his new book, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down.” The Library’s Coolidge Auditorium was filled with young fans from area schools eager to ask questions. This wasn’t the first time Kinney has …