New Sponsorship Helps to Bring Nationally Known Authors to

F= OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

M= edia Contacts:
Lee County Library System

M= argie Byers, Festival Coordinator

2= 39.533.4826, mbyers@leegov.com

CenturyLink

B= rian Hamman, Manager Market Development

2= 39.335.8330, brian.d.hamman@centurylin= k.com

New Sponsorship Helps to Bring Nationally Known Authors to

Southwest Florida Reading Festival

CenturyLink to join the Best Seller List!=

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FORT MYERS, Fla., Jan. 4, 2011 – The Lee County Library System is pleased to announce th= at CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) will be the “Best Seller List” sponsor o= f the 12^th annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival to be held Saturd= ay, March 19, 2011 at the Harborside Event Center and Centennial Park in downto= wn Fort Myers. The Reading Festival is free to the public and caters to = all ages.

“This is the highest level of sponsorship for the reading festival,” says Margie Byers, Reading Festival coordinator. “We are thrilled to have CenturyLink lead our list of stellar sponsors of the festival. CenturyLink= is a wonderful addition to the lineup of community-or= iented companies that support literacy and the festival year after year.”

CenturyLink’s sponsorship provides the festival with the ability to bring in nationally known authors from all over the country to <= /span>incite a passion for reading and love of literature in adults, teens and children. “Supporting education and reading initiatives is one = of the most important ways we can give back,” said Brian Hamman, CenturyLink’s manager of market development. Some of the award-winning authors scheduled to speak at the festival include Nel= son DeMille, Ridley Pearson, Rosemary Wells, Linda Fairstein, Heather Graham, a= nd J.A. Jance.

Sponsors like CenturyLink, a leading provider of high-quality broadband, enterta= inment and voice services, have chosen to support the community through partnershi= ps that encourage literacy and education in the Southwest Florida Community.&nb= sp; For more information, visit the festival's website: www.ReadFest.o= rg.

About the Southwest Florida Reading Festival:

The Reading Festival is 100% community supported through generous donations, sponsorships and grants. To help ensu= re the continuation of this free community event, visit readfest.org and make a secure online donation. Complete author information, schedules of festival activities, dates of partner events, directions to the event, and = more, are available for your convenience 24 hours a day at readfest.org or call 239-337-READ (7323).

About CenturyLink:

CenturyLink is a leading provider of high-quality broadband, entertainment and voice services over its advanced communications networks to consumers and busines= ses in 33 states. CenturyLink, headquartered in Monroe, La., is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America’s large= st corporations. For more information on CenturyLink, visit = www.centurylink.com.

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