Blog Post
Have You Read a Good Short Story Lately?
by Bertha
For twenty years the AADL has sponsored an annual Short Story Contest often refereed to as It's All Write! A challenge to judge, but a pleasure to read, these stories are selected first as Finalists, then as Winners by authors, who amongst them have won many awards from the Printz to the Hopwood. This year's stories can be found here.
In addition to local teen writers' stories, here's a list of Teen Short Story Collections from your library's collection, along with publications from 826michigan, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
Interspersed with reading great short stories is writing some too, and here's a couple titles that could help, Writing To Describe and 1001 Writing Projects for Students.
"There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories." Ursula K Le Guin
Blog Post
7th Annual LEGO Contest Winners!
by erin
As always one of the most anticipated events of the year did not disappoint! We were in a new location this year and the competition was as stiff as it always is. Our judges this year were AADL Associate Director of IT & Production, Eli Neiburger, Comics Are Great Podcaster and Kids Read Comics founder, Jerzy Drozd and local artist, Jeremy Wheeler. It takes a full three hours for the judges to pour over the 200 or so entries, but they had a blast doing it and made their decisions. NEW this year were the PEOPLE's CHOICE awards! Anyone who attended the contest and saw the entrires from 6-7:30 were invited to vote for their favorite within each of the six age categories. Congratulations to the 2012 winners! We will have photos loaded soon as well.
Preschool
1st Place = Milo Varnum
Runner-Up = Iggy Reem
Honorable Mention = Emma Khu
People's Choice = Milo Varnum
Best Motorized = Alexander Smith
Best Architectural/Engineering = Kevin Chu
Coolest Robot = Kaiden Davis
Best Vehicle = Dominic Nazario
Most Creative = William Epps
Most Sophisticated = Theo Sacks-Thomas
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Daniel Mazza
Most Enigmatic = Elijah Davis
Grades K-2
1st Place = Hudhaifah Rehman
Runner-Up = Maxwell Mayman
Honorable Mention = Devayani Pradhan
People's Choice = Micah Davis
Best Motorized = Armann Kamat
Best Architectural/Engineering = Keegan Globke
Coolest Robot = Joseph Bonenberger
Best Vehicle = Ocean Brabbs
Most Creative = Heeryun Kim
Most Sophisticated = Adir Vuppala
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Noah Nieman
Most Magical = Elise Meints
Grades 3-5
1st Place = Betsy Nieman
Runner-Up = Derek Mrachko
Honorable Mention = Anisha Fujii
People's Choice = Elliot Varnum
Best Motorized = Koen Van Nieuwstadt
Best Architectural/Engineering = Kyan Stevdle
Coolest Robot = Grant Pierfelice
Best Vehicle = Liam Farr
Most Creative = Sofiya Palcyzinski
Most Sophisticated = Alina Mankowski
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Elliot Varnum
Most Delicious = Abby Dobson
Most Sustainable = Aakarsh Verma
Most Career-Advancing = Bach Nguyen
Grades 6-8
1st Place = Leah Fleming
Runner-Up = Celeste Forester
Honorable Mention = Ryan Sauer
People's Choice = Lesh Fleming
Best Motorized = Robby Duquette
Best Architectural/Engineering = Justin Nieman
Coolest Robot = Hamza Khan
Best Vehicle = Taras Palczynski
Most Creative = Jeffrey Brooks-Conrad
Most Sophisticated = Kareem El-Tawil
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Casmir Mankowski
Best Flyswatter Based Summer Blockbuster = Peter Johnson
Leafiest Giant = Beatrix Dergis
Best Simulation of Ann Arbor Zombie Apocolypse = Oliver Mayman
Grades 9-12
1st Place = Logan Benton
Runner-Up = Cameron McLaughlin
Honorable Mention = Kevin Tian
People's Choice = Logan Benton
Best Architectural/Engineering = Alianha Porter
Coolest Robot = Alex Morey
Best Vehicle = Luke Thompson-Kolar
Most Creative = Bethany Pletzer
Most Sophisticated = Lee Thompson-Kolar
Adult
1st Place = Allen Ano
Runner-Up = Nieka Apell
Honorable Mention = Brian Mickey & Max & Rose Locke
People's Choice = Allen Ano
Best Architectural/Engineering = Sherif El-Tawil
Coolest Robot = Michele Loewe
Most Creative = Richard Mascotto
Most Sophisticated = Joshua Bartell
AADL LEGO Master Builder = David Papp
Blog Post
The LEGO Contest! See all the projects tonight starting @ 6 & vote for YOUR favorite!
by erin
One of the most hotly anticipated events of the year is almost upon us! The 7th annual LEGO contest is on Thursday, August 2 at the Kensington 610 Hilton Blvd. at Briarwood Mall behind Sears. The contest is open to all ages from Preschool to Adults! If you plan to enter the contest be sure to read the complete rules and guidelines. Attendees please note that this year there will be a "People's Choice" award in each age group! Drop-off is from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; Doors close for judging from 3:00-6:00 pm and doors open for public viewing from 6:00-8:00 PM. The award ceremony is at 8:00 pm.
Blog Post
10th Teen Graffiti Art Contest!
by Bertha
The Graffiti Art Contest has occurred each year during the Ann Arbor Art Fairs since 2003. Teens in Grades 6-12 are invited to come down and make a piece of art in the library parking lot using materials provided by the library. All entries are displayed in a month-long exhibit in the library. Link here to see entries from previous years. Latex gloves, paint shirts, paint and boards are provided by the library. Celebrate Art!
Local illustrator and design artist, David Zinn will be judging the art pieces, selecting the top three artists who will receive gift certificates to Michael's Arts & Crafts store. Zinn's artistic style and professional approach are grounded in a desire to communicate concepts clearly, and with a sense of humor. David has created posters, business logos, book illustrations, educational cartoons, museum signage, and t-shirt designs among others. Winners will be announced shortly after 1:00 pm.
Blog Post
Start planning & building your entry for the 7th Annual LEGO Contest!
by erin
If it's summer it's LEGO Contest time! One of our largest and most anticipated events is scheduled for Thursday, August 2, at the Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Blvd., (near Briarwood Mall). Last year we had over 200 entries and we can be sure there will even more this year!. Preschoolers, Kid, Teens and Adults are invited to participate. New this year: PEOPLE'S CHOICE! Attendees of the contest may vote for one project in each age category. People's Choice winners will receive a special LEGO trophy. For all the details read the complete rules and guidelines, and then start building!
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #10 for the Teen Short Story Contest
by Bertha
Ned Vizzini is the author of It's Kind of a Funny Story, Be More Chill, and Teen Angst? Naaah.. .. He has written for the 'New York Times' 'The Daily Beast' and season 2 of MTV's Teen Wolf. His work has been translated into seven languages and will soon be in Czech. He is the co-author, with Chris Columbus, of the forthcoming fantasy-adventure series House of Secrets. Forthcoming in the fall of 2012, is a new teen novel, 'The Other Normals.'
It's Kind of a Funny Story published in 2007 was also a major motion picture from Focus Features in 2010.
He is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write Teen short story writing contest. The panel of 10 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who will be announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 12, 2012.
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #9 for the Teen Short Story Contest
by Bertha
With a background in cultural anthropology and ESL-teaching, award-winning author has lived and traveled in Latin America and Europe. Her experiences inspired her novels for young people-- What the Moon Saw, Red Glass, Indigo Notebook, Ruby Notebook, Jade Notebook, Star in the Forest, and Queen of Water. She lives with her family in Colorado.
She is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write Teen short story writing contest. The panel of 10 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who were announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 12, 2012.
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #8 for the Teen Short Story Contest
by Bertha
Nina LaCour received a MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College and currently teaches English at an independent high school. She is also co-founder of 'Write Teen' a series of YA writing classes. Hold Still, Nina's first novel, was published in 2009 and is a William C. Morris Honor book, a Junior Library Guild selection, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and a Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2009. Nina won the 2009 Northern California Book Award for Children's Literature and was featured in 'Publisher's Weekly' as a Flying Starts Author. Her second novel Disenchantments, brings together influences of music and art on a group of friends as they decide what's next in life.
She is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write Teen short story writing contest. The panel of 10 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who were announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 12, 2012.
Blog Post
Winners of the Teen Short Story Contest! 2012
by Bertha
53 Finalists were honored on Saturday, May 12, from a pool of 350 submissions for this year's 20th Annual Teen Short Story Writing Contest.
Caitlin Horrocks, author of an applauded debut collection of short stories, This is Not Your City and a previous winner of the AADL contest
in 1997 spoke to a packed house of teen writers, their families and friends. She was inspiring and witty in her remarks. Below are the top nine winners in each of three grade categories:
Middle School (Grades 6-7-8)
1st Place - Elise Blaauw - Story/Expressionless
2nd Place - Sarah Kopacz - Story/Like Summer Rain
3rd Place - Kristen Hayden - Story/Shades
High School (Grades 9-10)
1st Place - Hannah Blaauw - Story/Glass Cage
2nd Place - Leon Pescador - Story/When the Sky Falls
3rd Place - Madeline Woods - The Rapid Evolution from Dumpee to Dumper
High School (Grades 11-12)
1st Place - Madeline Bradford - Story/Everything But Wings
2nd Place - Josie Benson - Story/Black Walnut
3rd Place - Vanessa Decker - Story/Sadie's Eyes
Congratulations to all!
Blog Post
Author Caitlin Horrocks Discusses her Work and Announces the Winners of the 20th Annual Teen Short Story Contest
by Bertha
Winning the Teen Short Story contest in 1997, Caitlin Horrocks will be back as a guest speaker at this 20th Year Celebration of teen writers. Caitlin's stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories 2011, and The PEN/O.Henry Prize Stories 2009, among others. Released in June 2011, This Is Not Your City a debut collection of short stories received praise, ". . .impressively sharp" and "appealingly rugged-hearted" (New York Times)
350 submissions were received this year from teens in grades 6th through 12th. All finalists have been notified and will be honored at an Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 12, 1:30-3:00 pm in the downtown library's, Multi-Purpose Room. The top three winners will receive $250 for 1st Place, $150 for 2nd Place, and $100 for 3rd Place in three grade categories. All finalists will receive certificates honoring their achievement. Stories were judges by an impressive team of authors for teens.
We applaud all the teen writers for their creativity and talent!