Tune in throughout Banned Books Week for a series of free online events featuring authors, librarians, and activists working to fight censorship. Read more below and register.
Learn more about Banned Books Week here.
Free Expression for Young People
Monday, September 19, 12:00pm CT
The books that are most frequently targeted for censorship are those that capture the attention of younger readers, which leaves many of them confused about the validity of their interests, their personal identities, and their First Amendment rights. This program will examine the censorship of content for young people and their rights from the perspective of authors who have written about or defended intellectual freedom for young people: Jarrett Dapier, librarian and author of the upcoming release Wake Now In The Fire, a graphic novel about the censorship of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis in the Chicago public school system; Ryan Estrada, co-author of Banned Book Club, a graphic novel about an underground banned book club in South Korea; Varian Johnson, author of Playing the Cards You’re Dealt and The Parker Inheritance, as well as outspoken champion for the right to read; and award winning educator and reading advocate Donalyn Miller.
How to Fight Books Bans in Your Community
Wednesday, September 21, 1:30pm CT
New day, new censorship! Attempts to remove books from school and public libraries are on the rise, leaving many librarians and members of the communities they support with a sense of powerlessness. But you are not alone! Learn about ways you can support libraries and combat censorship from experienced activists who have been defending the right to read in their communities. Join a conversation about community organizing and fighting book bans with Cameron Samuels, Banned Books Week Youth Honorary Chair and student activist from Katy, Texas; Jen Cousins and Stephana Ferrell, co-founders of the Florida Freedom to Read Project; and Carolyn Foote, co-founder of Freadom Fighters.
Practical Strategies for Defending Books in Your Library
Thursday, September 22, 12:00pm CT
How would you handle an attempt to censor books in your library? In this program, we’ll use ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios as discussion prompts to provide practical strategies and resources that librarians can use to inform their defense of challenged materials. The conversation will be lead by librarians from a variety of backgrounds: Moni Barrette (President, Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, American Library Association), Jamie Gregory (Upper School Librarian, Christ Church Episcopal School), Val Nye (Library Director, Santa Fe Community College), and Jack Phoenix (Manager of Collection Development and Technical Services at Cuyahoga Falls Library and Brodart’s Graphic Novel Selector).
A Conversation with Author Jennifer Niven
Friday, September 23, 12:00pm CT
Join New York Times-bestselling author Jennifer Niven for a conversation about censorship and the implications for teens and the communities where book bans happen. Niven is the award-winning author of eleven books, including YA novels All the Bright Places, Holding up the Universe, Breathless, and Take Me With You When You Go (with David Levithan). All the Bright Places has been targeted for removal in multiple locations, and Breathless was one of 52 books that were removed from shelves in Utah’s largest school district at the beginning of the school year before the school board reversed course and moved the books to a restricted section of the library that requires parental permission to access. Niven will be joined by retired educator and librarian, author, and intellectual freedom expert Pat Scales (Teaching Banned Books: 32 Guides for Children and Teens; Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your School Library; Books Under Fire: A Hit List of Banned and Challenged Children’s Books; Defending Frequently Challenged Young Adult Books; and Encourage Reading from the Start).