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<TITLE>Portland librarian wins her second Oregon Book Award </TITLE>
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<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT FACE="Arial">Portland librarian wins her second Oregon Book Award </FONT></B></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Date: November 17, 2008</FONT><B> </B>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">Contact: Penny Hummel, Multnomah County Library, 503.988.5498, pennyh@multcolib.org</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial"></FONT> <FONT FACE="Arial">Author photo available at: </FONT><A HREF="http://sararyan.com/about/"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">http://sararyan.com/about/</FONT></U></A>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">PORTLAND, OR: Last night, Multnomah County Library's Teen Services Specialist Sara Ryan won an </FONT><A HREF="http://www.literary-arts.org/awards/"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">Oregon Book Award</FONT></U></A><FONT FACE="Arial"> in the young adult fiction category for<I> The Rules for Hearts</I>. Described by<I> School Library Journal</I> as celebrating "the process of becoming an adult without providing any easy answers,"<I> The Rules for Hearts</I> is a companion to Ryan's previous novel,<I> Empress of the World</I>, also an Oregon Book Award winner. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">In addition to writing novels, Ryan also collaborates on short comics with artists like her husband, the cartoonist Steve Lieber. How does she balance her day job with this other compelling creative work? "Sometimes it's challenging to be both a librarian and a writer," she admits. "I worry about conflict of interest, probably excessively, and I often don't get a lot of sleep." </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Nonetheless, Ryan finds her work with teens at the library highly rewarding. "I love teens' honesty, their enthusiasm, and the great ideas they contribute when you approach them with respect," she notes. Ryan has been instrumental in establishing numerous avenues for teen involvement at the library, including ongoing Teen Lounges at various library locations, which give teens the opportunity to work on homework and socialize in a safe and constructive environment. Visit </FONT><A HREF="http://www.sararyan.com"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">her website</FONT></U></A><FONT FACE="Arial"> for more information about her life as a writer. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Arial">*****</FONT></P>
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