In August 2021, the Homewood Public Library hosted the First Chapter: a Writing Contest for Teens. Designed by the Homewood Library’s Teen Advisory Board, First Chapter tasked local 6th-12th graders to submit just the first chapter of a story. Writers were challenged to catch the judges’ attention with just an introduction. The Library received over 75 submissions from all over Jefferson County, AL. Thank you to everyone who submitted a story! The Library and judges were inspired by your creativity and originality. After much deliberation, the following entries were selected:

1st Place: Kaitlyn Jansen, 6th Grade at Mountain Brook Elementary

2nd Place: Jack Mitchell, 9th Grade at Homewood High School

3rd Place: Aiden Riemer, 12th Grade at Mountain Brook High School

Honorable Mention: Maddie Cobb, 11th Grade at Homewood High School

Congratulations to the selected winners! Click below to read the selected entries. Thank you again to everyone who submitted their writing!