500 Hazel Avenue, Homer, AK 99603
907-235-3180
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| Logo created by Flex High School Student Audrey Bryant |
Read more at: http://litsite.alaska.edu/uaa/aklibraries/drawer.html
The Top Drawer program has become part of the Friends' annual National Library Week celebration (first week in April) and the collection is expanded each April.
On April 5th, 2006, eight new works by local authors were added to the Top Drawer Collection and one was selected for the Top Shelf award. The authors whose works were added tot he Top Drawer collection in 2006 were: Dan Crane, Mary Langham, Brenda Dolma, Peter Garay, Syd Huffnagle and Shoshanna Rourke. Check out the Summer edition of the newsletter for an excerpt from Dan Crane's "Poems Without Rhyme or Reason and a Couple of Yarns."
If you are interested in submitting your work to the Top Drawer Program for 2008, click here for submission guidelines.
Want to search the Homer Public Library's catalog for all of the titles in the Top Drawer Collection? Go to http://www.ci.homer.ak.us:7195/webopac/main?siteid=HPL
Top Drawer Collection organizers begin search for 2011 winning writing entries
Two decades ago, Joy and Norman (Dick) Griffin began a contest to encourage local writers to bring their stories, poems and other works out of their “top drawers” and into public view.
Today, shelves of Top Drawer books surround the Homer Public Library’s fireplace, a testament to the success of this annual contest. Eight new works by local authors will be added to the Top Drawer Collection in 2011. Their writings will be bound and kept in the Homer Public Library collection.
Submissions to the Top Drawer contest must be made by Jan. 15, 2011. Winners will be announced in April. All entrants must be residents of the lower Kenai Peninsula, and all submissions must be original works by the author or authors. Authors are limited to one volume each.
All genres are welcome, including novels, nonfiction, children’s books, plays, collections of articles, essays, poems or short stories. Works may be illustrated and may be the work of more than one person. Anthologies of works by more than one person should have a common theme or format.
Manuscripts should be submitted in hard copy and should be “publication ready,” neatly typewritten in 12 or 14-point type or artfully handwritten on 8.5x11-inch white paper with at least 1-inch margins. Larger fonts are acceptable for children’s books. A digital copy should accompany the printed copy whenever possible.
For more information, call 435-3195.
Top Drawer winner encourages writers to submit works
For one day in 2008, Ann Keffer’s book, “The Seventh Chair,” was on the most popular list at Amazon.com.
“I think everybody I have ever known bought one,” Keffer said. “It was very exciting, a really gratifying experience.”
Keffer’s work was the recipient of last year’s Top Shelf award, making her eligible for an extensive publishing package sponsored by the Friends of the Homer Library, which runs the writing contest.
While the publishing package is certainly an allure, all Top Drawer submissions that meet guidelines are printed, bound and added to the Top Drawer collection, which surrounds the Homer Public Library’s fireplace. Everything from poetry to humorous anecdotes about early pioneer days can be found within the bound blue books.
To be eligible for submission, works must be written by residents of the Southern Kenai Peninsula from Ninilchik south, including the communities across Kachemak Bay. All works must be previously unpublished, and can be in any genre, including novels, nonfiction, children’s books, plays, collections of articles, essays, poems or short stories.
“I encourage anybody who has some aspirations in this area to consider this process,” Keffer said. “What in the world could it hurt to just go ahead and try?”
The deadline for submissions to the next Top Drawer collection is Jan., 2011. Entry forms and submission guidelines are available at the library or online at www.friendshomerlibrary.org. You can call 435-3195 for more information.
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 | A Collage of Inconsequential Observations by Margaret Pate | A Collage of Inconsequential Observations is a collection of essays written by Margaret Pate and published in 1993. This 68-page book includes humorous and insightful observations about life in Homer, our small Alaskan town. |
 | The Golden Heart by Joy Griffin | Joy Griffin published this 143-page book in 1997. The author describes the adventures of an 11 year-old boy who moves to an Alaskan homestead from an urban East Coast environment. |
 | Fisheye Soup and Other Rhymes by Lou Schwartzwald | Fisheye Soup and Other Rhymes was written by Lou Schwartzwald and published in 1997. This 65-page collection of poems includes true Alaska tales, ruminations, and other tales which provide humor for young and old. |
 | Tough Times When We Were Kids by Diana Tillion | In Tough Times When We Were Kids, Diana Tillion writes six short stories about the life of her family while living in Halibut Cove, a small settlement across the bay from Homer in southcentral Alaska. This 80-page book contains many wonderful illustrations by the author. |
 | K.E.O.K by Carolyn Coons | In K.E.O.K. Caroline Coons draws upon her experiences as a weather observer on remote St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, during World War II. This 72-page book contains poems, prose, outline poems, and a conclusion. |
