The Christian County Literacy Council is accepting poetry, essay and short story submissions for its bell hooks Memorial Writing Contest.
All works must be within the theme of “Belonging,” organizers said. The entry form and submissions can be completed online. The submission deadline is Feb. 15. Prizes will be awarded in four age groups — 5 to 8; 9 to 12; 13 to 17; and adult.
This is the second year the literacy council has sponsored a writing contest as a memorial to Hopkinsville native Gloria Jean Watkins, who was best known by her pen name, bell hooks.
Watkins died on Dec. 15, 2021, in Berea. She was the author of more than 30 books and was highly regarded as a feminist writer and cultural critic.
Her book “Belonging: A Culture of Place” was published in 2008. Written after her return to Kentucky to teach at Berea College, the book’s essays explore the meaning of home and community.
Anyone who has questions about the writing contest may email organizers at bellhookswritingcontestcclc@gmail.com
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
