Greetings fellow Literacy friends,

We are very pleased to be announcing our 1st Annual Poetry Contest!  Adult Literacy Providers throughout the state are encouraged to help us find the
"2017 INDIANA LITERACY ASSOCIATION’S POET LAUREATE."

The recipient of this award will be honored with:

• Indiana State Library Membership Card
• Press release to local newspaper in award recipient’s area
• Overnight stay at French Lick Springs Resort, French Lick, IN, on Wednesday, 4/26/2017
• Recognized as a special guest during the Indiana Association of Adult and Continuing Education State Conference luncheon, where the award winner will be a featured presenter, and read the winning poem(s)
• A plaque commemorating the honor of being named the ILA’s 2017 Poet Laureate

Eligibility: The Indiana Literacy Association’s Poet Laureate Contest is open to all adults who receive any education services from any of the ILA’s member literacy agencies during the defined contest period.

Contest Dates: Poetry can be submitted from January 27, 2017-March 15, 2017.

Selection: Poems will be judged by current Board Members of the ILA.

Decisions: The ILA Board Members will serve as the panel of judges. All poetry submissions will be reviewed. A winner will be selected during the regular ILA Board Meeting in March 2017. All decisions made by the ILA Board Members will be final.

Fees: There are no entry fees for this contest. The selected winner will be responsible for personal transportation to the IAACE Conference on 4/27/2017. Hotel accommodations for one night (4/26/17) will be provided by the ILA.

Copyrights: The author retains all copyrights to the submitted poem(s). Winning poems will appear on the ILA website, with copyright notice intact. By entering this contest, you consent to the publication of your poem, if it is selected as a winning entry, on the ILA website.

Notification: Winners will be announced by March 31, 2017.

Privacy Policy: The ILA collects personal information for the purpose of notifying the contest winner. All information is kept in confidence and used solely for notification purposes. Only the winner’s name will be made public, through the press release.

Rules: Submitted poems can include any theme and address any topic. Suggestions for themes include, but are not limited to:

A Day I'll Always Remember, Autobiographical/Live Experience, Beauty, Change, Courage​, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Freedom, Happiness, Imagination, Inspirational Theme, My Hero, Music, Opportunity, Overcoming Adversity, Personal Story, Purpose of Life, Regret, Someone I Love, The United States of America, What Literacy Means to Me

To submit your contest entries, download the pdf form below and submit via email to inlitassoc@gmail.com:

​Greetings and Salutations fellow Literacy friends,

At our last annual meeting, one of the things that you said you wanted from the Indiana Literacy Association was and is communication and sharing of ideas/resources. So, we formed a communications committee and continued the brainstorming on how best we can do that.

Ta-da…you are now reading the blog of the month.  Is that a cheesy name?  Maybe we let you name it, hey; maybe we let you write it! Now, we are talking. We will be reaching out to members if you want to be a published blogger, send us an email. The blog intention is to share what is coming, to share how we do all things and to make exciting announcements!  I interrupt this blog for a couple of exciting announcements…

1. IAACE Conference- Literacy Strand – ILA has partnered with IAACE to offer a half day literacy strand on Wednesday, April 26.  This half day will be available to all ILA members for only $50. The half day will include at least three sessions on topics that you have asked for.  It will also include sessions by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).  Details to register for the conference will be sent by email to all members, check out the details on the conference on the IAACE website.  By the way, the DWD request for proposal will be out this month and your organization is eligible to apply to receive money.  

And just a heads up so that you can start thinking…nominations for the IAACE Adult Learner of the Year will also be accepted from ILA member organizations, details soon.

1. A Poetry Contest for your Adult Learners will be announced this month! So start assigning poetry to your learners. More details soon.

Now, back to the blog, we have some topics planned; grant information (Dollar General is released this month), volunteer tutor training, and professional development opportunities.  The disclaimer is that this blog is meant to be information shared from one member to another about topics you want to share and learn, so you’ll need to comment, follow us on Facebook and Twitter  and let us know your reading and what you want next, otherwise, we won’t know you are reading and we may lose confidence in our Ta-da idea. I know you wouldn’t want a fellow colleague to endure that.  Contact me with questions, Ta Ta for now.
 
Jennifer Wigginton
ILA Vice President
Communications Committee Chair