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The Louisiana Center for the Book was established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994 for the purpose of stimulating public interest in reading, books, and libraries. It is the official state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
The Center works to accomplish its mission in three ways:
The Center also participates in the annual National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Contact the Louisiana Center for the Book here and learn more about our programs below.
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LOUISIANA BOOK FESTIVAL Established in 2002, the Louisiana Book Festival is an annual celebration of readers, writers, and their books. It has become the state's flagship book festival, attracting over 150 authors and presenters every year to downtown Baton Rouge. |
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH The 2026 Black History Month Program was presented by Wendy A. Gaudin, who wrote Sunset Limited: An Autobiography of Creole. |
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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH The 2026 Women's History Month Program was presented by Dr. Phebe Hayes and Margaret Simon, who wrote Were You There? A Biography of Emma Wakefield-Paillet. |
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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH Louisiana Poet Laureate Alison Pelegrin hosted the 15th annual "Just Listen to Yourself: Louisiana's Poet Laureate Presents Louisiana Poets" at the State Library on April 18, 2025. Six poets, including Pelegrin, read their work: Ralph Adamo, Carrie Causey, Sean F. Munro, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Sha'Condria "iCon" Sibley. |
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LOUISIANA WRITER AWARD The Louisiana Center for the Book has presented the Louisiana Writer Award since 2000. The 2025 recipient is former Louisiana Poet Laureate, Julie Kane an author and poet. The Louisiana Writer Award was presented to Kane during the annual ceremony at the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, Nov. 1. |
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LOUISIANA READERS' CHOICE AWARDS The Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards program began in 1999 as a way to encourage reading among young people. Students across the state have read nearly 1.5 million books and cast more than 485,000 votes since the program's inception. |
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SUMMER READING The summer reading program is offered by public libraries across the state. Children and adults participate by reading books during the summer and attending events at their library. The theme for 2026 is "Plant a Seed, Read." Contact your local library to learn more. |
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The Louisiana Center for the Book is proud to have selected these two books as the Great Reads titles that will represent the state at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Aug. 24. Since 2002, the 56 affiliated Centers for the Book have chosen books, called Great Reads, to be recognized at the National Book Festival's Roadmap to Reading, a space at the festival where every center has a table to promote their book choices as well as other aspects of their state’s or territory’s unique literary heritage. A complete list of Great Reads from all Centers for the Book can be found here.
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ADULT SELECTION
The American Daughters, by Maurice Carlos Ruffin From the publisher: |
YOUTH SELECTION
I Am Ruby Bridges, by Ruby Bridges From the publisher: When Ruby Bridges was just six years old, she became the first Black student to integrate an elementary school in the South. Based on the pivotal events that happened in 1960 and told from her own point of view in a poetic reflection on her experience that changed the face of history and the trajectory of the civil rights movement. |
