Winners in the 2023 bell hooks Writing Contest will be announced during a gathering to celebrate their stories, poems and essays at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, at the Performing Arts Center in Christian County Middle School. The Christian County Literacy Council received 80 entries on theme of “Belonging.”
This is the second year the literacy council has sponsored a writing contest in memory of bell hooks. A Hopkinsville native, she was born Gloria Jean Watkins in 1952 and died at her home in Berea in December 2021. hooks was a feminist author and activist. She wrote more than 30 books, including several for children.
Sunday’s ceremony will include a reading by hooks’ sister, Gwenda Motley, from the book “Belonging: A Culture of Place.” There will also be a vocal performance by University Heights Academy student Lucy LeBlanc and a piano performance by literacy council board member Beth Brockman.
First- and second-place winners in each of the four age categories will be invited to read from their selection, Francene Gilmer, the literacy council’s executive director, said in a press release.
Gwenda Motley serves on the Hoptown Chronicle board.
Hoptown Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news outlet that is dedicated to providing fair, fact-based reporting for people who care about Hopkinsville, Kentucky. We believe that public service journalism serves the community’s social, cultural and economic wellbeing by fostering knowledge, connection and meaning.
