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Alderson student wins national literature award

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WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II (D-W.Va.) today praised Alderson student, Taylor Landrie, for winning Library of Congress' 2009 Letters About Literature competition at the high school level for the State of West Virginia.

"I am very proud of the accomplishments Taylor displayed to win such a prominent reading and writing competition. The importance of reading cannot be stressed enough, especially in a society where too many children spend their time in front of a TV," said Rahall. "Reading allows young people to exercise and cultivate their thinking skills."

The Letters About Literature competition is a reading and writing program sponsored by the Library of Congress' Center for the Book, which was created in 1977 in order to use the resources and prestige of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. Letters About Literature has occurred annually since 1993 to encourage a love of literature in the Nation's youth. Participants write a letter to a favorite author whose book has inspired and affected their lives.

Landrie, one of approximately 55,000 young readers from grades 4 though 12 who competed in this year's Letters About Literature competition, wrote to William Faulkner, author of The Sound and the Fury.

"Becoming an excellent reader will give anyone an advantage in our highly competitive society," said Rahall. "Reading helps develop a stronger vocabulary while stimulating the creative side of our brain. The medium of the written word leaves room for us to fill in blanks as we travel through a story."