Announcing Reading Lights – see your writing or illustration in lights

---

UPDATE, July 3 2015: announcement of selected books

Calling BC Writers and Illustrators

Do you write stories or poems for children 8 years and younger?

Submit your published work for consideration to feature your story or poem under a Reading Light.

The Vancouver Public Library and CWILL BC Society are seeking submissions of BC books for ‘Reading Lights’.

As part of a new literacy initiative in 2016, excerpts of stories or poems with associated illustrations from published children’s literature will be featured on permanent plaques (24” high by 7” wide) and placed on lamp posts in Vancouver. The author and illustrator will be highlighted with links to the library for further reading. These plaques will provide spontaneous encounters with BC books for children and their caregivers near parks, playgrounds, schools and libraries. They are intended to spark an interest in stories and reading, while celebrating the work of BC authors and illustrators.

If you are/ or have been a resident of BC for at least 2 years and write or illustrate for children 8 years and younger, please read these submission criteria. Books in English and other languages reflecting the diversity of BC are welcomed.

Submission Criteria

• The story excerpt or poem must be aimed at young readers, toddler to 8 years.
• Fiction, nonfiction and poetry are all eligible.
• At least one of an author/illustrator team must be/ or have been a resident of BC for 2 years.
• Books may be submitted in their entirety or selected excerpt.
• Submissions may be done electronically or by post office mail.
• You may submit one excerpt each from three different publications.
• You may submit a current work or one from your backlist.
• All permissions must be included with your submission – from the author, illustrator, and publisher. This can be in the form of a letter or printed copy of an email.

What Happens Next?

A jury of three people (from VPL, CWILL BC Society, and a children’s educator) will review the submissions and select twenty to feature on lamp posts across Vancouver.
The design team from VPL will consult with selected authors / illustrators before the plaque is finalized and request a high-quality digital image of the book cover, the author and/or the illustrator.

The plaques will be manufactured and installed at selected sites. The anticipated launch of this project is January 2016.

Submitted books as part of the application process will be donated to the Vancouver Public Library.

Checklist

Before mailing – please follow this checklist.
Have you included:

☐ A story excerpt or poem specifically aimed at young children 8 years and younger?

☐ If you are sending an excerpt by email does it include a good quality photocopy of a page
and the title, author, illustrator and publisher names?

☐ Is one of your author / illustrator team a resident, or has been resident of BC for 2 years?

☐ Are the permissions included with the submission?
Please include a letter or printed copy of an email with this information.

☐ Have you included your contact information?
Name
Address
Phone number
Email address

Send hard copies (books or photocopied pages from books) to:
Vi Hughes
For: Reading Lights
1250 Esquimalt Avenue
West Vancouver
V7T 1K3

Send electronic copies to:
vancouverreadinglights@gmail.com

Your submission must bepostmarked by April 15, 2015 for consideration.
In early 2016 the community could be reading your story under a Reading Light!

For a pdf version of this information, please click here.

---

To get an idea of what Reading Lights will be like, check out this similar project, Literary Landmarks.

---