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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#142: Librarian Love

April 16th is National Librarian Day in the US! You may know your local librarian as the person who helps you find your next great read, but librarians accomplish a lot that we may never notice — acquiring new books, helping patrons conduct research, and working with schools or other community groups.

Ultimately, a librarian’s main job is to continue democratizing information so everyone can have access to whatever it is they want to learn. Pretty cool!

We believe librarians are massively important public servants in any thriving community, so to celebrate them we’re inviting you to write a story based on one of these five prompts:

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone being given a book recommendation.

Middle School – 33 stories

Write a story about a librarian that doesn’t fit into the common librarian stereotypes.

Fiction – 62 stories

Write about a character on the hunt to solve a mystery who uses their local library (or librarian) as a source of information.

Thriller and Suspense – 25 stories

Write a story that includes one character reading aloud to another.

Dialogue – 30 stories

Write about somebody who likes to work in silence.

Dialogue – 25 stories

Stories

“Guess Who's Cooking Dinner?” by Joe Dozier

Submitted to Contest #142

“Hello? Horry County Library, may I help you?” “Reference Desk, please.” “Reference, may I help you?” “I need a contact to report Elder abuse. Do you have a reference for that?” “I’m sure we do. If you would give me your name and number, I will call you as soon as I l...

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“Lost Time” by Joseph Hartshorn

Submitted to Contest #142

Here comes another one, just as confused as the others. As soon as he comes through the door, there is first that look of surprise, then of admiration (for it is a beautiful library if I say so myself). When he has finished enjoying the quaint, retro charm of the room, the vintage green desk lamps, fine mahogany furniture, and that unmistakable smell of old, over-read books, it dawns on him that he has no recollection of making his way here. He's not even sure what part of town he has come to and probably does not know where he left his car....

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“The Doll Maker” by Lexi Duckett

Submitted to Contest #142

“We’re moving?” I and my brother Adam looked up at our mother who was doing the dishes. Adam and I were sitting at the kitchen table. Adam was studying for a math test for school, and I was writing a story. I love writing. That’s what I want to be when I get older. I want to be a writer. Mom finished washing a coffee mug and then she grabbed the dishtowel from off of the counter and she dried her hands. Then she laid the towel back on the counter and she turned and looked at us. She had that calm look on her face that she always had. My mom ...

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“Anthem for a Lost Cause” by MJ Zander

Submitted to Contest #142

She tore the pages out. She tried to cross through the words and even covered them in black paint, but she knew underneath, the words were still there, mocking her. He had told her what she didn’t want to know, what she already knew but was too scared to admit, and once she did it scared her even more. It had been coming for a while. She could feel it, a creeping sense of foreboding. It had started as a trickle...

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“LOVE the library life” by Judith Veder

Submitted to Contest #142

LOVE THE LIBRARY LIFE I inherited my library love from my mother Florence. She loved books and learned to read at an early age. Her mother, a Yiddish speaker from someplace in Poland, learned English too at the Seward Park branch library on the lower east side opened in 1909. My mother always had books in her house. My mother used to say when her last days were upon her, she wanted to spend them in a library. She also said that about Barnes and Noble. Or maybe M...

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“The Gambler” by Anora Mansour

Submitted to Contest #142

THE GAMBLER In the middle of an autumnal Friday evening, Eva dashed across the honking gridlocked Brixton High Road, weaving her way to her local off-licence, clutching a large yellow rucksack. The plan was to stuff it with a litre of gin, soda water, Coca Cola, and a small pouch of rolling tobacco. Ignoring the blaring horns and cursing motorists clutching her rucksack which was now scraping against car doors, she wove back through the mist and pollution, dodging the cars, heading for the cul de sac to her studio flat. As she pa...

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“Paper Planes” by Carlyn Blake

Submitted to Contest #142

I awoke with a sudden fit of coughing, my throat felt dry and I grabbed for the plastic bottle of water I had left on the side before going to sleep, there wasn’t much left so I took a small mouthful, just enough to rinse my throat, and swallowed. I tasted ash. Panicking, I swung round to where I had put the children to sleep, both were still on the single bed in the corner, the worn-out tartan blanket had been kicked off and had slid onto the floor but they both still had all 3 of our jackets over them for warmth, top to tail with the littl...

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“Return to the void” by Lee Portess

Submitted to Contest #142

People often asked him if he ever felt lonely when he was out here. If he felt isolated, alone, vulnerable. He always smiled and shook his head, never looking up from whatever task he was working on. In truth he only really understood loneliness as a concept. They would invariably express amazement, go on to tell him how they could never do it. Tell him of the primal fears that wracked their brains when isolated from their fellow man, surrounded by a hostile environment. He would continue to work as they satiated their need to communicate, s...

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“The School Library” by Micaiah Moore

Submitted to Contest #142

Simon Slater had always loved books, so he had always loved libraries. To an 11 year old, the possibilities were ceaseless. Dusty pages, long dark hallways, and best of all, Simon loved that the library (one which not many people roamed) was completely silent. And so that is Simon, an 11 year old boy who retained the world and loved the hush of the library… None of his friends ever shared Simon’s interest, nor did anybody in his school. All the fixation in his times was video games, sports, summer camps, and of everything an 11 year old boy...

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“His Eyes are Open” by Jamaal Zindi

Submitted to Contest #142

His Eyes are Open Jamaal Zindi “Get the book.” “No.” “Why not?” “‘Cus I said so.” “I promise you bro, it’s genuinely not as bad as you think it is.” “I don’t care, it’s way out of my budget too. Check the price!” A slim finger pointed at a small rectangle of card dangling from a box. “Fine. You’re genuinely so silly Andrew.” “You believe what you want, Alex. I’m just smart. And I haven’t had much money since my mother passed, you know.” Andrew was a 14 year old boy that didn’t do too well in school. His grades were just barely what they we...

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“An After-School Lesson” by Dave Bede

Submitted to Contest #142

The city library wasn’t in the worst part of our town. But it was close enough to always double-check that I’d locked my bike before I went inside. That spring, I’d taken to always riding down there after school to do my homework. Though I was from the right side of the tracks – barely – I wasn’t scared of the ride not quite into the slums. It was where most of my friends lived, which was one of a hundred reasons why my mother and I didn’t get along at all lately. Another was my avoiding spending time at home after school. “You ought to fa...

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“Baby Blue ” by Ashlyn Cave

Submitted to Contest #142

The old red door creeks as Kate opens it. The smell of books and Mrs. Jenkins candle of the day fills the library. Kate inhales and smiles; her first month working at Golden Creek Library has been the best. Customers of all ages, locals and travelers visit the library year after year. Kate is still working to prove she belongs; some welcomed her with others arms, others couldn't see past her baby blue hair , her jet black Chevy Silverado that she drives to work every morning, and the few tattoos that she has. Golden Creek is in a beauti...

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“I love Tigers” by Jacob Mathews

Submitted to Contest #142

Computers, old and new, grab your attention when you walk in. Behind them, 32 rows of knowledge fill the brown and grey concrete/brick building. The boring texture of the walls exuberate the uniqueness of each book. The best ones usually had their plastic coating ripped. They were used and withered. I drug my fingers across the covers waiting for my movement to catch a noticeable imprint. There are always so many. I never know what to choose. I read the descriptions of at least 30 books. I guessed the ending for all of them and assumed I was...

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“The Misdemeanours Between Two 17-year-olds and A Library ” by Alexandra Lehene

Submitted to Contest #142

“May I help you?” I startled slightly, swivelling around to face the deep voice that addressed me. I come face to face – or rather, face to chest – with a guy. He might’ve been around my age, about 17 or a bit older, with black mussed-up hair and tired eyes. “I’m looking for the librarian,” I say meekly, hiding behind a curtain of my hair. His eyes lit up, apparently amused. “Never seen a librarian so young, have you?” His taunting tone grated my nerves, and I grimaced. “I was hoping to find someone that fits the description, you know? ...

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“The Case of the Passiflora X” by Olivia Snead

Submitted to Contest #142

The Case of the Passiflora X By O. S. Snead One Monday morning in August, private investigator Edgar Nikephoros Huntinger received a telephone call from Franklin Harrington, an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Good morning, Edgar, this is Agent Harrington. How are you on this hot Miami morning?” I’m doing well, thank you, Franklin...

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$250

Prize money

175

Contest entries

129

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 22, 2022 EST

Won by Deidra Whitt Lovegren 🏆

Title: What You Can Do With Your Book

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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