You still have time to put the finishing touches on your SHORT STORY. The deadline for turning in stories is March 16, Friday. Submit to: allwrite@aadl.org

Prizes are awarded for 1st Place ($250), 2nd Place ($150), and 3rd Place ($100) in three different grade categories of 6-7-8, 9-10, and 11-12. Check here for complete guidelines.

You will receive an email verifying that we have received your story, and then the process begins of screening the stories and having the final judges select the winners. All stories are judged anonymously and finalists will be notified. Winners will be announced at an Awards Program on Saturday, May 12, from 1:30 - 3 pm. Caitlin Horrocks a winner of the 1997 short story contest, will be speaking and signing copies of This Is Not Your City her first collection of published stories.

You can check here to see some of the previous winning stories.
Good Luck!

All you fans of chess, we will be gathering for open play, even though Traverwood, the usual host branch, is closed for maintenance. We'll be setting up the chess boards from 1:00-4:00pm on Sunday, February 19 at Malletts Creek for chess players of all ages and abilities. Please join us for one of the best strategy games around.
New to the game? Please check out these introductory titles or look here for titles with more advanced strategies. AADL also carries magazines for chess enthusiasts, Chess Life and Chess Life for Kids for quick tips and articles of interest.
Drop by on Sunday to challenge your friends and make new ones.

Tuesday, February 14 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Malletts Creek

Try to “set up” another teen with your favorite book. You’ll have 3-5 minutes to convince another teen to read your book. Then switch and that teen will try to set you up with their favorite book.

There will be paper and pencils on hand to jot down book titles and evaluate them along with some Valentines sweets. A prize will be awarded to the person who persuades the most people to read their book.

Check out 2011 Teens’ Top Ten titles and nominate your favorite 2011 teen book for the Teen Choice Book of the Year.

This event is for teens Grades 6-12 .

The 54th Annual Southeast Michigan Science Fair happens on March 9 and 10, 2012 at Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence Building.

If you are in Grades 6, 7 and 8 from any school in the region you are eligible to enter Individual or Team projects in the Middle School Division. If you are in grades 9 through 12 from any school in the region are eligible to enter Individual or Team projects in the High School Division.

To enter your science fair project you must pre-register by Friday, February 17.

The regional Southeastern Michigan Science Fair is affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This event is sponsored by the University of Michigan and Washtenaw Community College in cooperation with public and private schools in the five county regions.

At this hands-on workshop you’ll get a chance to pull your own screen printed tea towel to take home. We’ll also get you caught up on all things related to printing up stylish towels. Hand printed tea towels are a great way to add a bit of whimsy to one’s kitchen, as they’re both colorful and creative!

We’ll also have linoleum blocks carved and ready for you to use to stamp a design onto a fat quarter of fabric. You can then do what you will with the fabric! You can use it in a plethora of handmade projects, including: A throw pillow, a bag, a placemat, for appliques, and more. It’s up to you. You’ll leave the workshop with a tea towel and a fat quarter, ready to add some sparkle to your abode.

To expand upon the joy of printing on fabric, here are some crafty books to get you going.

This DIY event is for grade 6 – Adult, and takes place at Pittsfield on Tuesday, February 7, from 7-8:30pm.

Sunday, February 5 | 1:00-3:00 PM | Downtown Library | Multipurpose Room | Gr. 6-Adults

Welcome cartoonists Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga from sunny Honolulu, Hawaii (via Skype), as they discuss how they work together to create comics and run their business.

Audra and Scott are the co-creators of nemu*nemu, an original, online comic that has been running since 2006. Not only are they inspired by anime and manga, but the duo also strives to bring a touch of Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday funnies with a good dose of “small kid time” nostalgia to everything they do.

The Teen Short Story Contest officially begins today and runs through March 16, 2012.
You’ll have seven weeks to perfect that short story you’ve had this idea for, but just have never finished. Guidelines are easy to follow and when you’re ready, just send your story to allwrite@aadl.org
AADL’s short story writing contest just hit it’s 20 year.
You can read previous winning stories here or check out writing resources that might be helpful.
1st Place Winners receive ($250), 2nd Place ($150) and 3rd Place ($100) in these three categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-10, and Grades 11-12
A panel of published authors will judge the stories. The Awards Ceremony, featuring author Caitlin Horrocks, a winner of the 1997 short story contest, will be held Saturday, May 12, 2012, at the Downtown Library.
‘It’s All Write!” is cosponsored by the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library and AADL.
Good Luck!

The 2012 winner for the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during the November 1 2010 – October 31 2011 publishing year is Notorious Benedict Arnold. Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. Please meet the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale.

The four 2012 Excellence in Nonfiction finalists are:Sugar Changed the World : a Story of Spice, Magic, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, Wheels of Change : How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom, and Music was It : Young Leonard Bernstein.

This year’s winner of the Printz Award is Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. Seventeen-year-old Cullen's summer in Lily, Arkansas, is marked by his cousin's death by overdose, an alleged spotting of a woodpecker thought to be extinct, failed romances, and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

The 2012 Printz Honor Books are Why We Broke Up, The Returning, Jasper Jones, and Scorpio Races.

Saturday, January 21 | 10:00-11:00 AM | Downtown Multipurpose Room | Gr. 6-Adult

Learn mental and physical training for realistic self-defense situations in this hands-on workshop. Gain a greater awareness of how to avoid threatening situations, how adrenaline affects them both physically and mentally, and which self-defense techniques will be most effective in both standing and ground situations. Master Lockman says, "by utilizing role-playing, participants get the most out of our self-defense workshops."

Don’t miss this chance for a great Saturday morning workout and to learn from the staff of Master Lockman’s Black Belt Academy.