Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

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

“The Corpse of Addenbrooke Island” by Kay Martin

Submitted to Contest #142

Tired heads swayed in the walls of Devin and Kione’s home: it was late, and their children were put to bed by Kione’s brother, Hanley, hours ago. Only the three adults were awake now, collecting the fireplace’s acrid smoke in their clothes and fighting their heavy joints in the sitting room. Devin picked at his nails, growing uneasy as Hanley paced and crackled from the electricity his socks created by rubbing against the carpet. If only we could attach him to the generator, Devin considered. Hanley insisted that he was unplagued, merely ene...

Read story

“Story Time” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #142

I am the story teller here to tell a story to my young student Kendall and a bunch of her friends. My name is Gabriella. Today's story time takes place at our world famous library, where kids and adults take in the magic of books and where the librarians words are words of wisdom. Kendall my young student of ten loves books and the library. She is just like and all others young and old who loves books. Who doesn't love a good book? Today I'm taking Kendall and a bunch of her friends to the library for story time. I will be telling Kend...

Read story

“A Shared Shame” by Vie L'cast

Submitted to Contest #142

"Imaginative as your original idea may have been, it has sadly been lost in the under-cooked gumbo that is your story. As a writer, food-critic-turned-novelist, I often anchor my critiques in the analogy of cooking. It is a technique that works well in conveying complex thoughts to simple writers. Those inclined towards sappy, romantic stories that make readers wait. I suspect you're a woman. You should note that most men will not wait for you to develop such narratives. We would like for you to get to the point, if there is one, rather quic...

Read story

“A Dangerous Game” by Clarys J.C.B.

Submitted to Contest #142

She was playing a dangerous game. A very dangerous game. A most precarious game. A game full of risk. A game full of trickery. A game full of uncertainty. It was Finals week. Three days more to go and the semester would end. Three days more to go and she could enjoy her break. Three days more to go and she could bask in the sun and not have to think about anything and everything for a while. Three days more to go and she could finally relax. Three days more to go and she could finally get some proper sleep. Alas, that would still be thr...

Read story

“Just A Whisper” by Luca Falcon

Submitted to Contest #142

Sat in the clocktower, all one could hear is the absence of sound. The drought of noise. Footsteps of its past presence brushed away and dismissed. It was as though it never lived. A vision of clarity remained, presented as a state of calm. The beauty in the form of nothing, the lack of everything. It is a power so strong, bestowed on all beings, yet only used by some. It can change emotions, answer all questions, channel fear or bravery. It is the energy of focus and stabilization. It is… Silence. ...

Read story

“Little Bobby and the Librarian” by Tom Ford

Submitted to Contest #142

Little Bobby walks into the library looking for a book on animals! Little Bobby loved to draw animals and he would put funny faces on them. Little Bobby could not find any animals book to look at, he said to himself they must be all checked out and what can I do? Little Bobby saw Mrs. Nancy the librarian and he goes up to her and asks Mrs. Nancy can you help me, and she replies yes little Bobby what can I help you with? Little Bobby says I'm looking for a book on animals so I can draw them! Nancy the librarian said no problem and g...

Read story

“Remember ” by Malak Bat

Submitted to Contest #142

IMPORTANT: The crossed out words are intentional The raindrops trickled down from the dark and cloudy skies. Thunder roared from above and I closed my eyes as each droplet hit the crimson umbrella, a steady sound over and over. Drip, drip, drip. Blocking out the bustling city, I forced myself to focus on those little drops as I exhaled a slow breath, opening my eyes to watch the forming cloud of smoke with silent satisfaction as I stood in the park. I was drenched, not bothering to move the umbrella to cover myself yet again...

Read story

“Love Is All There Is-Tailor-Made” by Carol Styron

Submitted to Contest #142

“Do you have a book called ‘Love Is All There Is-Tailor Made’ by Sheila Davis?” A twenty-three-year-old Marsha Hunter anxiously asked the 41-year-old librarian, Julia Russell. Julia looked over her black-rim glasses and then froze for a minute as she sat behind her desk at The New York City Public Library. Something about the young mixed-raced-looking woman seemed so familiar to her. It wasn’t just her appearance but her mannerisms and the way she spoke. It was eerie. After a ...

Read story

“This Bookworm's Name Is...” by Lu Rodgers

Submitted to Contest #142

Thomas pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the library, pausing briefly to take in the overwhelming bookish smell of the place, before shutting out the sunshine behind him with an echoey thud. As usual, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, or more likely, the rustling of book pages, or the pen drop of a stressed student studying for their next exam or essay. There were a lot of students today, it being the last Sunday of the half term. There were the regulars, the elderly, and the students all milling about. Thomas found they ...

Read story

“The Great Library of All” by Teresa Barcelo

Submitted to Contest #142

The regulars at Gem Port Library adored the librarians there. They were triplets by the names of Peter, Estella, and Ellie. And why wouldn't the visitors be enamored with them? They always knew the perfect book recommendations to suit your every need. Peter always had clever wording and puns, Estella had a way to make every story seem interesting, and Ellie knew all the best sources for studying any and every subject. There was a quiet regular whose name was Carnelian. She came in more often than most, borrowing every book on holidays and f...

Read story

$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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢