Teens

2025 Teen & Tween Writing Contest Announced

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It’s back! The library is holding its third annual Tween & Teen Writing Contest this spring with the theme, “Wonder.”

Whether writers want to explore “wonder” as a noun (a feeling of surprise, mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, expected, or inexplicable) or a verb (1. to be curious to know something or 2. to feel doubt) — entrants can get creative in how they craft an original work that relates to the theme. New for 2025, the library is introducing a poetry category, in addition to fiction.

Entries will be accepted between March 1-15. Click here to view the form, instructions and complete rules.

A panel of judges will score each entry based on three main criteria:

~ Creativity/Originality
~ Technique
~ Theme

Winners will be announced at a reception on April 8th at 6 p.m. at the library. Families and friends are encouraged to attend this event, which will include light refreshments and recognition of all contest participants. Click here to register for the reception.

Contact Beth May at emay@ptlibrary.org with questions about the contest, or if you’re interesting in joining one of our creative writing clubs.

2024 Tween and Teen Writing Contest Winners Announced

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The Youth Services Department held its second annual Tween and Teen Writing Contest this spring, capped with a reception honoring all participants on May 7 at the library.

This year’s theme challenged writers to explore the word “hidden.” From hidden identities to secret agents, from hidden worlds to secret crushes, the 12 teens and nine tweens entering the contest addressed the theme in a variety of creative ways. Judges–including library staff, published authors, and Peters Township Library Foundation members–scored entries based creativity, technique and theme.

Over 50 participants, family members and friends gathered at the May 7th reception for prizes, refreshments and the announcement of winners. The top two winners in each category read an excerpt of their entries at the reception and received gift baskets.

Plans are in the works for a third annual writing contest in 2025.

Select the writer’s name below to read their entry.  

Tweens:
Grand-prize winner: Dora Liu
Runner-up: Andrew Bricker

Teens:
Grand-prize winner: Eleanor Gorman
Runner-up: Hannah Crnkovich
Runner-up: Gloria Patts

Tween Participants:
Cecelia Borsani
Gemma Clark
Vijval Satheesh Kumar
Gabriella Lamb
Alaina Petrovich
Amelia Sharker

Teen Participants:
Ella Clapp
Claire Henry
Ari Nakao
Autumn Prisk
Ella Prisk 
Elivia Shaffer

Mythic Fiction Writing Contest Winners

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Throughout April, the Youth Services Department accepted submissions for a unique writing contest for tweens and teens. The contest’s theme was “mythic fiction,” in conjunction with the library’s NEA Big Read Grant featuring the novel Circe by Madeline Miller.

Library staff member Elizabeth May coordinated the contest, entered by ten tweens and three teens. May offered a workshop in March to help participants prepare for the contest. The teen entries were all retellings of classic Greek and Norse mythology, all with strong female characters. The tween entries took a more general approach of being mythology-inspired or featuring a mythic creature.

Library staff, The Peters Township Library Foundation members, and celebrity judges reviewed all the entries based on three criteria: creativity, technique, and theme. 

Over 50 people attended a reception on Thursday, May 4, at the library to announce the winners. Each tween and teen who participated were given a certificate of participation. The top two winners in each category for tweens and teens did a reading of their entries for their families and friends. Both runners-up and grand prize winners received prizes. May plans to hold another themed writing contest next year to encourage the craft of writing.

Select the writer’s name to read their entry.  

The winners included:

Tweens:

Grand-prize winner: Dora Liu

Runner-up: Claire Heller

Teens:

Grand-prize winner: Hannah Cataneo

Runner-up: Hannah Crnkovich

Additional writers included:

Andrew Bricker
Alissa Diraimondo
Ashley Hafenbrack
Zachary Hathaway
Jo Myers
Thomas Oxenreiter
Alaina Petrovich

Library Launches Mythic Fiction Contest for Tweens and Teens

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Beginning April 1 and running through 15, the library will accept submissions for a unique writing contest for tweens and teens. Entrants can submit a short story or an excerpt of a longer work for consideration. A celebrity panel of judges will review all submissions. A reception will be held at the library on Thursday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. to announce a winner and an honorable mention in both the tween and teen categories.

Contest Details

The contest’s theme, in conjunction with the library’s NEA Big Read Grant featuring the novel Circe by Madeline Miller, is “Mythic Fiction.” Writers’ submissions should relate to the theme directly (using elements or narratives from world mythology) or indirectly (employing a mythic storyline, i.e., heroic, in scope).

Our judges will consider three main criteria: 

~ Creativity/Originality

~ Technique

~ Theme

Our top two writers in the tween and teen category will read their winning entries at the May 4 reception and receive prizes. We invite friends and family members of all entrants to join us. Immediately following the writing contest reception, attendees can participate in a live virtual discussion with NY Times bestselling author Madeline Miller.

The contest rules are:

~ Tween writers must be in grades 4 to 6; teen writers must be in grades 7 to 12.

~ Only one entry per tween or teen will be accepted.

~ We will accept only single-author stories (no joint projects).

~ Submission must be your original work.

~ Tween entries can be up to 1,000 words but must be a minimum of 500 words.

~ Teen entries can be up to 3,000 words long (but must be a minimum of 1,000 words).

~ Entries must be submitted via a COMPLETE Google entry form between April 1 to 15 only. 

~ Entries must relate in some way to the theme of “Mythic Fiction.” Authors can explain the connection to the theme on the entry form.

Mythic Writing Workshop for Students

The library will host a Mythic Writing Workshop on Tuesday, March 21, from 4 to 5 p.m. for students planning to enter the writing contest. This workshop will provide inspiration and instruction for writing engaging mythology-inspired stories. Register at https://events.ptlibrary.org/event/tween-and-teen-mythic-fiction-workshop

Teen and tween writers interested in regularly meeting with peers in a supportive, encouraging environment may be interested in the library’s Writer’s Club, which meets twice a month year-round. Tweens meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 4 to 5 p.m., and teens follow from 6:30-7:30 p.m. 

Contact Beth May at emay@ptlibrary.org with questions about the contest or the writing groups.

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Read Local/Eat Local returns to PT Library

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The Peters Township Public Library will host 22 local authors at its 3rd Read Local/Eat Local in a new format for 2022. On Saturday, August 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the public is invited to visit the library for an entirely outdoor event in the library parking lot. The library encourages the community to read books by Pennsylvania authors representing all genres for all age groups. No registration is required to attend.

The twenty-two authors featured will include writers of several formats, including short stories, fiction, nonfiction, and children’s picture books. Authors participating include:

Robin Acton
Sarah Addis
Barbara Brutt
Rossilynne Culgan
Annette Dashofy
Abigail Drake
Fifth Avenue Writers
Kit Frick
Lisa Grazan
Anna Harsh
J.V. Hilliard Author Cancelled
Annette Hostoffer
Carole Lynn Jones
Thomas Mainwaring
Nancy McCabe 
Liz Milliron
Chris Posti
Linda Rettstatt
Chris Rodell
Nellie Steele
Cori Wamsley
Thomas White

J.D. Barker

Kicking off the event at 10:00 a.m. will be a talk by J.D. Barker. He is the New York Times and international best-selling author of numerous novels, including Dracul and The Fourth Monkey. His latest with James Patterson, Death of the Black Widow, was released earlier this spring. His books have been translated into two dozen languages, sold in more than 150 countries, and optioned for film and television. Barker will sign books after his talk, with select titles available for purchase through Riverstone Books. No registration is required to attend.

Plan to Eat Local while at this free event or passing through the area. Three food trucks – Johnny’s Seafood Shack, Wooden Peel Pizza, and Millie’s Homemade – will be in the library parking lot with refreshments for sale from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Concluding the event at 1:15 p.m., a representative from Riverstone Books will offer tips to current and aspiring authors. Hear ideas on how to market your books and work with an independent bookseller. You must register to attend this presentation. Register at ptlib.org/riverstone.

For more information about Read Local/Eat Local, call the library at 724.941.9430 ext. 3260 or email ptlib@pt-library.org.

 

Are you interested in being a future Read Local/Eat Local author? Complete this short form to share your interest with the event organizers for next time!

New On-Demand Streaming Service – hoopla!

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The popular on-demand streaming service hoopla digital is now available for free for Peters Township Public Library cardholders. Members can access over 1,000,000 titles in various formats – audiobooks, eBooks, comics, music, movies, and TV. PT Library cardholders can stream content from any computer or mobile device by downloading the hoopla digital app for IOS and Android.

With hoopla, Peters Township Public Library now offers a vast digital collection to borrow immediately from anywhere. Hoopla is available on your desktop, phone, tablet, Alexa devices, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV. You may borrow 8 Instant Borrows each month. Books are available for 21 days, videos are available for 72 hours, and music titles for 7 days after you borrow. Titles are automatically returned and removed from your device at the end of the lending period.

“Our patrons have given us great feedback over the past year about how our library services can help meet their needs,” said Illyanna Logan, Assistant Library Director. “One thing that we heard over and over again was that the Peters Township Public Library community wanted more digital content available with their library card. When we saw that, we immediately thought of hoopla. It gives us a great way to instantly increase our digital offerings with a vast library of content in diverse formats that’s always available. We think this resource will be a great addition to our digital collections and hope our patrons enjoy exploring all that hoopla has to offer!”

The hoopla digital collection includes popular entertainment and educational content, such as hit TV series, newly released music, bestselling audiobooks and eBooks, and much more. All items in the collection are always available, so no holds are necessary. This new service is not replacing OverDrive or Libby for downloading eBooks and audiobooks. The library is providing more digital content at the request of its members.

To get started, visit hoopladigital.com on your desktop or visit the App Store or Google Play to download the mobile app. In late March and April, the library has scheduled Intro to Hoopla classes via Zoom. Visit ptlib.org/classes to register to join the Zoom session.

Additional resources:
How to hoopla on IOS, Android, or Kindle
5 easy steps to get started with hoopla

What is Kids Mode?
hoopla Kids Mode is a multi-format, digital media experience designed especially for kids (up to age 12). All of the content – movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, eBooks, and comics – has been curated and brought together in this one family-friendly place. Kids Mode is a feature that should be used with parental guidance. There are different age ranges using this feature and the titles available range from G-General Audiences to PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. Parents or guardians are expected to decide whether a specific title is appropriate for their child.

How do I activate Kids Mode?
hoopla Kids Mode is very simple to activate. Once you are logged into your account, just go into your settings in the upper right. Then click/tap on the Kids Mode toggle switch, and you’re all set. Click here for a guide on how to activate Kids Mode. We also offer a Kids Mode option on the home page in the top right corner! Logging out and back into your account switches Kids Mode off by default.