Girls Write Now mentee Tara Isabel Lago has been published in Teen Vogue as the winner of the New York Public Library’s Freedom to Read Writing Contest
New York, NY – April 8, 2024
Girls Write Now mentee Tara Isabel Lago has been published in Teen Vogue as the winner of the New York Public Library’s Freedom to Read Writing Contest!
Tara’s essay, entitled, “The Luminosity of Reading: The Morningside Lights Parade Encourages Freedom to Read” describes the importance of free access to books and how the annual Morningside Lights parade inspires community through literature.
Defending the freedom to read may be difficult. It may be heavier than a lantern and darker than a cloudy city night. It may have foes scarier than entrapping branches and trickier than uneven ground. Yet as a community, our efforts and the light of our lanterns and our stories shine brighter than these problems combined.
Morningside Lights is an annual lantern parade that takes place in Morningside Heights, where Columbia University is located. Tara, a student at Columbia, recently volunteered to contribute to the parade’s theme of The Open Book, “an ode to reading and to the librates that share these books with all,” she explains.
Tara helped created a lantern honoring Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, alongside 32 other lanterns representing culturally significant books. “Defending the freedom to read may be difficult. It may be heavier than a lantern and darker than a cloudy city night. It may have foes scarier than entrapping branches and trickier than uneven ground.” says Tara, reflecting on the parade. “Yet as a community, our efforts and the light of our lanterns and our stories shine brighter than these problems combined. My lantern’s glow did not waver and neither did we.”
Read more about Tara’s experience in the parade in the full article below.
I think it’s surreal that I was chosen as the winner! I hope that my essay can inspire others to champion the freedom-to-read and the institutions that help make our reading freedoms possible.
Tara Isabel Lago, Mentee