We have a winner!

City High sophomore Emma Holmes is the winner of the 2013 Paul Engle Day: Glory of the Senses Essay Contest, with her submission, “Swing Tree,” in which she writes ”about a fire caused by lightning that destroyed a tree where she played as a child.”

She will be awarded one year of free tuition at the University of Iowa for her efforts.

Way to go, Emma!

Paul Engle was “the long-time director of the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop and co-founder of the UI’s International Writing Program,” and the Glory of the Senses Essay Contest was created in an effort to celebrate his writing, particularly his memoir, A Lucky American Childhood. The contest, held by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, encourages young writers to share their “Iowa experience” in a three-five page essay, exploring and “drawing on a specific memory to capture the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of the day.”

Emma will be honored on Paul Engle Day, October 12, 2013.

And here’s a cool quote to think about, if you’re gearing up to enter the contest next year:

“What was true about Iowa for Paul Engle at the beginning of the twentieth‐century is true now, at the dawn of a new millennium: we are surrounded by a vivid tapestry of sight and sound and smell that, if you pay attention to it, will not only enrich your experience, it will enlighten your mind.”

Congratulations, Emma!

School is almost over!! WOOOOOO!!!

Summertime means awesome stuff at the Iowa City Public Library. Here’s the details:

Summer Library Bus:

Once again, we’re partnering with City of Iowa City Transit to offer free bus service for children and teens (and their parents) through grade 12. Just show your library card on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM, June 4 – August 15 and you can ride to the library for FREE! Return passes are issued at the library (just ask at any desk).

Summer Reading Program: Groundbreaking Reads!

The summer reading program at ICPL has seen some big changes this year, and we’re all super excited to get you all reading! This year, there’s a gameboard and activities to complete, so be sure to register here starting May 28th, and in person (at the library) on June 1st. The grand prize this year is a Kindle Fire!

Think you’ve got Minecraft skills?

Check out this video made by Grahame (Paradise Decay on YouTube) of the entire introduction to Star Wars: A New Hope created in Minecraft. Wow.

Also be sure to check out “11 Incredible Skyrim-Inspired Minecraft Builds”, Harry Potter/Minecraft mash-ups, and this video of The Lion King‘s opening scenes, Minecraft style.

Inspired? Think you can do better? Stop by the Minecraft Meet-up on Saturday, May 18 from 3:00-5:00 PM in the Computer Lab, and prove it!

Photo via flickr, Nomadic Lass

Trees are blooming, birds are singing…it’s perfect weather for reading outside!

And since spring is finally here, we can start dreaming up ambitious summer reading lists, right? When I was growing up, May was filled with dreams of marathon Harry Potter reading sessions (anticipating the release of a new book), backpacks full of new books from the library, and competing with my friends to get the most books read before school started again in August.

This summer, I’m catching up on my teen reads. Of course I’ve read The Hunger Games (but who says I can’t read it again?), I’ve yet to read a Sarah Dessen novel (any recommendations?), Divergent is still a mystery to me, and my copy of The Fault in Our Stars is gathering dust under my textbooks. Time to get reading!

I’m scouring YALSA’s 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults list for ideas, too. I’d like to give Libba Bray’s new book, The Diviners, a try, and I’ve been hearing lots of great things about Shadow and Bone, the first book in the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.

Want help finding great books to read this summer? Check out Goodread’s Popular Summer 2013 list, NPR’s 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels, the top ten of the Best Fiction for Young Adults list, or the Iowa High School Book Award nominee list. Craving some nonfiction? Check out YALSA’s Nonfiction Award winners and nominees.

It’s super short notice, but the EPX Animation and Gaming Conference is taking place today and tomorrow in the Art Building West on the University of Iowa campus. Looks like there will be representatives from Gazillion, Laika Studios, Marvel, Polytron and more.

EPX Studio, the sponsors of the event, write, “We want to give you an insider’s look into the life of an animator, illustrator, game programmer, 3D character rigger, and 3D character artist. Join our event to see them talk on campus and tell you all about their jobs and how they got there.”

Be sure to check out the event’s Facebook page, as well as EPX Studio’s website and blog for more information.

Looking for a brand new sci-fi series?

Prairie Lights is hosting a book launch party for Zenn Scarlett, on Saturday, May 11 from 5:00-6:00 PM. This new science fiction novel was written by Christian Schoon, a local author, who will be reading and signing books at the event.

According to Tor.com (where you can also read an excerpt from the book):

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.

You can find out more about the book at its Goodreads page, and you can find Christian Schoon on Twitter and at his website: http://www.christianschoon.com.

Interested in expressing yourself through poetry, spoken word, or rap?

Register now to participate in a performance master class from 3 – 5 pm on Saturday, April 27th at the Iowa City Public Library, followed by food and a 5:30 pm performance where you’ll take the stage and perform your work alongside amazing spoken word artists! Space is very limited, so register NOW!

It’s easy to walk around everyday, thinking you have an excellent understanding of scale and distance.

But unless you are some sort of insane genius (and even with Doc, I doubt it), it’s incredibly difficult for our human brains to comprehend scale in any precise terms.

Check out this website, designed to demonstrate just how FAR Mars is from Earth. It uses pixels to help us understand distance.

Then, while your brain is feeling wrinkled, explore this website called The Scale of the Universe. Scroll left to zoom in on the supersmall, and scroll right to zoom out to…well, the estimated size of the universe. Click on the images to learn more about them. (The Minecraft world is included: see if you can find it!)

Feeling small? Well, you literally are…but you can feel bigger by volunteering, learning more, or just going for a walk. So get out of the house! It’s a big universe out there.

Due to VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), Teen Tech Zone will be CLOSED, Saturday, April 13.

We will be open again on Thursday, April 18 from 3-5 PM and Saturday, April 20 from 1-4 PM.

Coder Dojo will be meeting this Saturday in the University Capitol Centre, Room 2520B on the 2nd floor of the Old Capitol Town Center. Need a map? Click here.

Celebrate the Mission Creek Festival with a Teen Concert (grades 7-12) at the public library TOMORROW, April 5. We’re teaming up with United Action for Youth (UAY) to bring you Other Band, Conetrauma, and Bass/Drum in Meeting Room A.

Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the music starts at 7:00 PM.

We’re giving you permission to be loud in the library. Take advantage.