HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Christian County Literacy Council is inviting writers of all ages to participate in the 2027 bell hooks Memorial Writing Contest, to celebrate the legacy of the internationally recognized feminist writer and Hopkinsville native.

This year’s contest theme is “Together, We Make a Difference,” and encourages participants to use their words and ideas to inspire positive change and promote stronger communities. The announcement of the contest comes at Hopkinsville celebrates what would have been bell hooks’ 74th birthday on Sept. 25.

Entries for the contest are split into four age groups ranging from ages 5-8 years old, ages 9-12 years old, ages 13-17 years old and adults. Participants may submit original poetry, essays or short stories. All entries will be published online. Writers have until the new year to enter, with the deadline set for Jan. 15, 2027.

According to the literacy council, the contest seeks to continue connection by encouraging new generations of writers to read, write and use their voices to make a difference. Email cclc42240@gmail.com for rules and more information about submissions.

About bell hooks

bell hooks was born Gloria Jean Watkins in Hopkinsville on Sept. 25, 1952. She graduated from Hopkinsville High School and went on to be a professor at multiple colleges. Her books began launching into success in the 1980s, and she eventually won the National Book Award for Fiction and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, according to information from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2010, Berea College in Kentucky opened the bell hooks Institute, which serves as a center for her poems, novels, and personal items.

Her famous pen name was inspired by her great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks. She chose to adapt it without uppercase spelling to shift attention to her ideas rather than her own identity.

Throughout her career, hooks authored more than 30 books addressing topics including race, gender, education, community and love. Her works include Ain’t I a Woman?, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center and All About Love.

After she passed away in December of 2021 at the age of 69, her sister, who still resides in Hopkinsville, has prioritized introducing her works and life to locals and people throughout the state. bell hooks’ face is proudly displayed on a downtown Hopkinsville mural, there is book club dedicated to her works, a local street is named in her honor outside of the old Carnegie Library, and a wing is dedicated to her in the Pennyroyal Area Museum.

Find out more about bell hooks’ legacy at her exhibit at the Pennyroyal Area Museum in Hopkinsville.

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