About Linda Johns

I'm a librarian at The Seattle Public Library and a coordinator for the Washington Center for the Book. I'm passionate about promoting reading and writing, and I'm passionate about Washington state.

Congrats to Washington’s ‘Letters About Literature’ Winners

Congrats to Washington’s ‘Letters About Literature’ Winners

From 1,327 letters submitted, three Washington students have been selected as state winners in the 2019 Letters About Literature contest and are advancing to the national contest sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Congratulations to our winners — Naomi, Paige, and Colton!  Naomi Ries, a fourth-grade student at the French American School of Puget…

Six local authors win ALA youth media awards

Six local authors win ALA youth media awards

Washington authors had a big presence at the 2019 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Seattle last month, with six of our state’s authors taking home prestigious awards in ALA’s Youth Media Awards.  Corey Tabor: Winner of the (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book for Fox the Tiger, which he wrote and illustrated. Dori Hillestad…

Edgar Award finalists feature two Washington authors

Edgar Award finalists feature two Washington authors

If you’re a mystery lover, the annual announcement of the finalists for the Edgar Awards is always a great way to add excellent mysteries to your to-be-read pile. The Edgars, named for Edgar Allan Poe and awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, announced the 2019 finalists (for books published in 2018) on January 22 for the best in mystery…

Announcing the 2018 Book Award Finalists!

Announcing the 2018 Book Award Finalists!

Congratulations to the finalists in the 2018 Washington State Book Awards Fiction: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, of Seattle (Flatiron Books) The Cold Eye by Laura Anne Gilman, of Seattle (Simon & Schuster) The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper, of Seattle (HarperCollins) Solar Reboot by Matthew D. Hunt, of Clearview (Matthew D. Hunt) George and Lizzie…

Book Bingo for grown ups!

Book Bingo for grown ups!

Do you ever reminisce about your summer reading days when you were a kid? Maybe trips to the library to load up on books were a regular part of your weekly (or daily) routine? And maybe you loved tracking what you read and seeing the titles stack up? Well, here’s a chance to relive the glory of summer reading by…

‘A Ticket to the Pennant’ selected for 2018 National Book Festival’s 52 Great Reads

‘A Ticket to the Pennant’ selected for 2018 National Book Festival’s 52 Great Reads

Each year a list of books representing the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is distributed by the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book during the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. We are delighted to announce the Washington Center for the Book’s 2018 selection to represent Washington state: A…