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(Request printed materials by October 9)
(Print your own here<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OYpknhu9YOdvJM4mhTefhf-tchdnd6iL?us…>)
Hello, beloved educators!
Every year at StoryCon, a kid walks into a class with a published author, feels like their ideas and their potential are taken seriously, and walks out transformed. Reading and writing stop being schoolwork and start being something that belongs to them. That shift is the whole reason we do this, and it tends to stick for life.
There are students in your classes right now who need exactly that. You know who they are. We don't, and we can't reach them without you.
THERE IS STILL TIME TO REGISTER A SCHOOL GROUP FOR STORYCON!
We offer deep discounts and one free educator ticket for every ten student tickets. Check out our Educator Success Toolkit at storycon.org/schoolgroup<http://storycon.org/schoolgroup> for prewritten funding request letters, promotional templates, and planning checklists. Equitable access is central to what we do: we scholarship 20% of attendees from Title I schools, so if you are looking for a first time scholarship to StoryCon for a group of 10 students, please email contact(a)operationliteracy.org<mailto:contact@operationliteracy.org> to apply.
PLEASE SHARE STORYCON WITH YOUR STUDENTS
StoryCon is Utah’s largest book event, combining the energy and passion of a national book festival with the professional education of a serious writing conference with dedicated tracks for teens, tweens, and educators.
Brandon Mull is our headlining keynote, and he's bringing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Fablehaven movie for attendees only. Also keynoting: T. Kingfisher, Maggie Stiefvater, and poet Amber McBride, with Caldecott winner Dan Santat keynoting the tween day. Neal Shusterman, Kiera Cass, Tricia Levenseller, Kathryn Purdie, and dozens more authors and publishing professionals will be teaching classes. Full lineup at storycon.org/presenters.
Here is a link to printable posters and flyers<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OYpknhu9YOdvJM4mhTefhf-tchdnd6iL?us…>. Please share these with any student you feel would benefit from StoryCon programming–the ones writing in notebooks under their desks, the ones who reread the same three books, and the ones who haven't discovered yet that they love reading.
A student who hears "I think you would love this" from their own teacher is far more likely to participate than a student who walks past a poster. That one sentence from you is the most valuable thing in this whole email.
Students with financial need can apply for individual scholarships at storycon.org/scholarships.
WANT US TO SEND YOU PRINTED MATERIALS? REQUEST BY OCTOBER 9TH
Last year we mailed printed packets to every school in Utah. This year printed flyers, posters, and bookmarks will be shipped to you upon request.
Email contact(a)operationliteracy.org<mailto:contact@operationliteracy.org> with:
- Your name and school
- A mailing address
- the number of student flyers you'd like
A SATURDAY-ONLY TICKET, AVAILABLE ONLY THROUGH THE QR CODE ON YOUR EDUCATOR FLYERS
Plenty of families can't pull a student out of school on a Friday. For those students we have a discounted Saturday-only teen ticket that is not listed on our public ticket page. It is available only through these flyers, which means your students can't find it unless you tell them about it.
THREE WAYS TO BUILD READING AND WRITING ENERGY NOW
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Read Your Way to StoryCon 2027: a reading list with one featured title from every visiting author, with a prize for students who read five books on the list. It makes a great group reading list for a class or a book club, and it's especially fun if several students from your school are attending and can compare notes. Find the list at storycon.org/readtostorycon2027.
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Teen Readers' Choice Awards is the only national book award nominated and decided entirely by teens. Voting is open now at storycon.org/vote, and winners are announced at StoryCon.
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Our contests cover fiction, poetry, cover art, film scripts, songwriting, playwriting, and more. Two things to know: entries require a fee, and only registered StoryCon attendees may submit. That said, the prompts make excellent class assignments on their own. Assign one to everybody, let the whole class get the benefit of the writing, and then the students who are attending can decide for themselves whether they want to enter what they wrote. Prompts can be found at storycon.org/contests.
FOR YOU AND YOUR LIBRARIAN
The educator track runs February 5-6 and costs $199. Gordon Korman, author of more than 100 books for kids and teens, is giving the educator keynote. Your ticket also includes all adult track classes, every keynote, the exhibit hall, and the chance to earn up to 5 SUU graduate credits. Details at storycon.org/educator.
We're holding one Educator Book Banquet this year, with author speed dating and a signed book from every author at the event. This event fills up quickly, so reserve your seat today at storycon.org/bookbanquet.
If you do nothing else, print the flyer and hand it to the three or four students who came to mind while you were reading this. We deeply appreciate your helping us ensure access to these programs for the students who need them most.
Questions of any kind can be addressed to contact(a)operationliteracy.org<mailto:contact@operationliteracy.org>. We would love to hear from you.
We can't wait to celebrate story together in February.
The Operation Literacy Team
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LEAs have the duty to select instructional materials that best correlate to the core standards for Utah public schools and graduation requirements. (UCA 53G-4-402(1(a)). Posting of resources by USBE staff curriculum content specialists does not imply the resources have received official endorsement of the State Board. Educators are responsible to ensure use of these materials complies with LEA policies and directives.
Know an outstanding Utah ELA teacher who expands minds and worlds? Nominate them for Utah English Teacher of the Year!
Awards recognize BOTH middle and high school teachers in five categories:
• Student Teacher/Intern
• First-Year Teacher
• Early Career (2–5 years)
• Experienced (6–20 years)
• Expert (21+ years)
Self-nominations and nominations from colleagues or administrators are welcome; submit the quick nomination form and a letter of support HERE<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPx820Aj2j_k2NJCbSCAtu2kGTmLqE9u2…> by December 15, 2026.
Winners will be honored at the UCTE Annual Conference on February 19, 2027.
Questions? Contact Dr. Lisa Arter at lisaarter(a)suu.edu<mailto:lisaarter@suu.edu>.
Help us celebrate excellent teaching across Utah; share this email with your school and colleagues!
