Grantville youngster national essay winner; $10,000 prize for library
By KRISTIAN HAMMOND
kristian@newnan.com
Amber-Nicole Watty, a Grantville resident, is the National Award winner of the Letters About Literature essay contest sponsored by Target and the Library of Congress.
Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing promotion program in which young adults are able to enter through their school with two nominations or individually. Contestants were required to write an essay to their favorite author, living or deceased and of any genre, explaining how the author’s writing had impacted their life. It was a reflective writing style of essay that needed to be personal, insightful and expressive.
“I felt like I could present the essay in an appropriate manner so I entered,” Watty said. “I decided to write a letter to J. Asher about his book ‘Thirteen Reasons Why.’ It had a big influence on my life and helped me make a big decision about my future.”
The prize was a $10,000 grant that was allowed to go to any library that she designated. Her choice to receive the grant was the Grantville Public Library.
“The Grantville Library is the library closest to me, and the first time I came I thought it was a cute little library,” Watty said. “But I couldn’t help but feel that it needed some extra money so that it could grow and put it on the map. I just wanted to help.”
“We were pleased to receive the call that we had a winner from Coweta County,” said Barbara Osborne-Harris, the director of the Coweta County Library System. “We were even more excited and impressed when she gave the money to Grantville. It’s gratifying to know that someone knows of the importance of libraries and cares about enhancing the library to give more opportunity to the community.”
“This shows the values of reading and having libraries for kids to explore,” added Georgia State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch.
“Young adults and children like Amber-Nicole is why we work so hard at keeping the library alive.”
Amber-Nichole Watty moved to Grantville with her parents six years ago from New York.
She has attended The Heritage School as well as been home-schooled. She plans to major in nursing in the future and become a registered nurse.
