JAMIE HECTOR OF HBO’S “THE WIRE” TO ANNOUNCE GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF FOURTH ANNUAL “BROOKLYN LIT MATCH” TEEN WRITING CONTEST AT BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL

On Sunday, September 13, the grand prize winner of the fourth annual Brooklyn Lit Match teen writing contest will be announced by Jamie Hector of HBO’s The Wire at the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism will host the fourth annual Brooklyn Book Festival, a huge, free public event presenting over 220 authors participating in panel discussions and readings, young adult and children’s programming and a literary marketplace of more than 150 booksellers, publishers and literary organizations. Readings are held at Brooklyn Borough Hall, in Borough Hall Plaza and Columbus Park, at St. Francis College and the Brooklyn Historical Society.

High school students from throughout Brooklyn submitted a multitude of literary works about the theme of change and its relationship to Brooklyn, with entries covering such diverse genres as stories, poems, essays and raps. The applicants were narrowed down to ten finalists by a distinguished committee of publishers, editors and literary agents. The judges for this year’s contest are Stacey Barney, Penguin/G.P. Putnam’s Sons; Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary Agency; and Nancy Mercado of Roaring Brook Press.

The ten finalists will read their respective submissions at the Festival, and their work will be professionally edited and published in an anthology to be released by Akashic Books.  The first prize winner will receive a brand new laptop computer; all other finalists will be awarded a gift bag and copy of a published book.

2009 Lit Match Finalists

Rachel Rigodon, Brooklyn Technical High School, If It Were to Rain
Britney Vaccianna, M.S. 51, A Story of a Girl’s Amazing Life
Jacob Willner, Poly Prep Country Day School, Like Everyday
Yamini Kumawat, Poly Prep Country Day School, The End of the Fairytale
Nkosi Ebanks, Metropolitan Corporate Academy, BK’s Change
Juan Vasquez, Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School, Catharsis
Alison Perez, The School for Legal Studies, Brooklyn
Amanda Johnson, Frederick Douglass Academy VII, When Hope Returns
Matt Rodriguez, Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School, The Iron Fist of Change
Jalisa Wright, Bedford Academy High School, Untitled

The Brooklyn Book Festival’s Youth Stoop, geared toward readers ages 10 – 18, boasts an array of bestselling authors and a menu of genres to please any appetite from fantasy and vampires to graphic novels and fiction about love. Best selling author Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux; Because of Wynn Dixie) will read and discuss her new book The Magician’s Elephant together with Michael Buckley (The Sisters Grimm). For teenagers, or teenagers at heart, the festival presents National Book Award finalist Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak; Chains); and M.T. Anderson (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, National Book Award winner). Dealing with tough issues in their books are Coe Booth (Kendra); Gayle Forman (If I Stay); and Matt de la Pena (We Were Here). Masters of heartbreak and longing at the festival include Anna Godbersen (The Luxe) and Aimee Freidman (Sea Change, a love story with a hint of enchantment). Graphic novelists Danica Novgorodoff (Refresh, Refresh); George O’Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country); and Raina Telgemeier (The Babysitter’s Club) will speak about their work, and fans of vampires and the supernatural will also be delighted with the authors at the Festival.

The 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. Sponsors include the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation; the NYC & Company Foundation; Astoria Federal Savings; Citi; Boar’s Head Provisions; the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge; and Time Out New York and Time Out New York Kids, media sponsors. Cultural partners are BAM; the Brooklyn Historical Society; Brooklyn Public Library; and the National Book Foundation. Programming partners include Housing Works Bookstore Café; PEN American Center; Poetry Society of America; The New York Review of Books; St. Francis College; and The Nation.