River of Words is a free, international poetry and art contest for youth on the theme of watersheds. The contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live, and to express, through poetry and art, what they discover.

The contest is open to any child in South Carolina (and the world!), from 5-19 years of age. Students may enter on their own or as part of a group (classroom, Scout troop, 4-H, etc.) The deadline for entries for the 2008 contest is February 15th, 2008. For more information about the contest and how to enter, please see the Web site at www.riverofwords.org. South Carolina student winners in each age category will be honored at a ceremony in Columbia, SC in late April.

• Contest Entry Form | PDF Document
• A Sampling of Environmental Links for Kids | Microsoft Word Document
• RIVER OF WORDS Fact Sheet | Microsoft Word Document
• River of Words Flier | Microsoft Publisher Publication
• River of Words PowerPoint Presentation

For questions, please contact Susanna Brailsford at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or see the Web site: www.riverofwords.org.

     Pirates Don’t Change Diapers, written by Melinda Long and illustrated by David Shannon, has been selected as the featured book for the SC Center for the Book Pavilion at the 2007 National Book Festival.  

The South Carolina Center for the Book hosted author B.J. Welborn for a lunchtime program on Thursday, June 28th, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Welborn, author of Traveling Literary America and America’s Best Historic Sites: 101 Terrific Places to Take the Family, will speak on “Traveling Literary America: Taking a Twain Ride, Pursuing Peripatetic Poe, Hunting Hemingway Hideaways.”

The South Carolina Center for the Book is proud to announce that Jordan Slisher of Westminister, SC has been named a national winner in Letters About Literature.