What are you doing to celebrate Banned Books Week today? Here are a few suggestions for events around the country!

Be sure to visit the Banned Books Week event page at https://bannedbooksweek.org/events/, where you can find events happening all over the world! If you’re hosting an event, let us know about it by completing this form — we’ll add it to the map!

Don’t forget to tag @BannedBooksWeek and #BannedBooksWeek on Twitter and Facebook when you share your Banned Books Week adventures!

Let’s take a look at how people are celebrating today!

Banned Books Week Coalition Events

Webinar: Three Ways Librarians Can Combat Censorship

Webinar • 8:00 am – 9:00 am CDT

What can librarians and educators do to help combat censorship? For public, school, and academic libraries, censorship is never a simple issue to navigate, especially when it involves parents, a board, or a fellow colleague. This year’s Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2019) theme is “Censorship leaves us in the dark. Keep the light on.” In a webinar hosted by ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, Index on Censorship magazine, and SAGE Publishing, three librarians, one from each type of library, will share tips for navigating censorship issues. Find out more »

Walled In

Knowledge Centre, The British Library, London, United Kingdom • 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm BST

Writers consider walls in literature and in our lives. 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, writers consider walls in literature and in our lives. With the resurgence of interest in the boundaries and borders of nations across the world, is the symbol of that wall still potent in 2019? Do walls and censorship go hand-in-hand? And are there places where a wall could mean safety rather than segregation? With David Hare and Ben Okri. Find out more »

Banned Books Week: “Cancel Culture: Can Free Speech in Cultural Institutions Survive the Onslaught of Moral Outrage?”

Harvard Law School • 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT

Harvard Law School Library Presents: Banned Books Week Svetlana Mintcheva, Director of Programs at the National Coalition Against Censorship and a literary scholar and public commentator will present a talk on the effects contemporary moral outrage has on the arts and culture. Co-sponsored by the Harvard Law School Library, the ACLU at HLS, the Harvard Law School Rule of Law Society, the Law and Philosophy Society, and the Harvard Federalist Society. A non-pizza lunch will be served. Find out more »

Webinar: Banned Books Week Library Livestream — Historical Voices

Webinar • 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT

Andre R. Frattino (SIMON SAYS) and Sanford Green (BITTER ROOT) in conversation with Dr. Katie Monnin (Author of 8 books on teaching graphic novels, Why so serious? Productions Founder) about banned voices throughout history. Topics covered will also include the use of censorship as a mode of suppression, the erasure of dissenting voices from the historical narrative of our nation and others, and the legacy of those erasures as they affect current events.Brought to you by ALA’s Graphic Novel Comics Round Table and Intellectual Freedom Round Table, and Image Comics. Find out more »

Books on the Chopping Block

ALA Headquarters-Chicago, Chicago, IL • 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm CDT

Free dramatic readings by City Lit Theater from the Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books in America, as compiled by the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. The program lasts approximately 50 minutes. Find out more »

Books on the Chopping Block

Bridgeport Library, Chicago, IL • 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CDT

Free dramatic readings by City Lit Theater from the Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books in America, as compiled by the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom.  The program lasts approximately 50 minutes. Find out more »

Books on the Chopping Block

Frankfort Public Library, Frankfort, IL • 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm CDT

Free dramatic readings by City Lit Theater from the Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books in America, as compiled by the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom.  The program lasts approximately 50 minutes. Find out more »

Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret + Banned Next? Love v. Death, A New Chamber Opera

The Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, FL • 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT

Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret is a celebration of songs and scenes from shows that have been censored or challenged on America’s stages, created to raise awareness around issues of censorship and free expression in the theater. Sponsored by the Dramatists Guild and the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, performances are taking place across the country during Banned Books Week, September 22-28.This Florida performance is directed by The Studio@620’s Bob Devin Jones and is a 50-minute mix of scenes and songs from plays and musicals producers have objected to, including The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), Rent, Fun Home, An Octoroon, Kleptocracy, Chicago, and Cabaret. Find out more »

Banned Together! A Philadelphia Premiere!

Parkway Central Library, PA • 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT

Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret is back for its fourth year in a row and appearing for the first time in Philadelphia! The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund (DLDF) created Banned Together as a celebration of songs and scenes from shows that have been censored or challenged on America’s stages, created to raise awareness around issues of censorship and free expression in the theater. The performances will feature selections from Cabaret, Chicago, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged), An Octoroon and Calendar Girls, among other notable works, with a libretto by DLDF president John Weidman (Assassins) and J.T. Rogers (Oslo, Blood and Gifts). Find out more »

BOSTON: Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret

Central Library in Copely Square, Boston, MA • 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT

The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, in partnership with PEN America, presents Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret, a celebration of songs and scenes from shows that have been censored or challenged on America’s stages; Banned Together was created to raise awareness around issues of censorship and free expression in the theatre. Previous performances have featured selections from Cabaret, Chicago, Fun Home, Rent, and Angels in America, among other notable works, with contextual commentary by DLDF president John Weidman (Assassins). Find out more »

HOUSTON: Banned Together

Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage, Houston, TX • 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm CDT

The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund (“DLDF”) in partnership with PEN America is pleased to present the Fourth annual Banned Together as a part of Banned Books Week (September 22nd-28th), the annual celebration of the freedom to read. Our Houston performance is Monday, September 23, 7:30pm at the Alley Theatre, Hubbard Stage. Banned Together is a celebration of scenes from shows that have been censored or challenged on America’s stages, and was created to raise awareness around issues of censorship and free expression. Find out more »

CHICAGO: Banned Together

Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL • 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm CDT

Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret is a celebration of songs and scenes from shows that have been censored or challenged on America’s stages, created to raise awareness around issues of censorship and free expression in the theatre. This is the fourth year that Banned Together will be presented in Chicago. In previous years, Banned Together has been presented in over twenty-five cities across the U.S., and will be presented in multiple cities again this year, as a part of Banned Books Week.The Chicago performance will feature selections from Cabaret, Chicago, Fun Home, Rent, and Angels in America, among other notable works, with a libretto by DLDF president John Weidman (Assassins) and J.T. Rogers (Oslo, Blood and Gifts). Find out more »

Other Events

Banned Books Week Selfie Station at Springfield City Library

Springfield City Library Central Branch, Springfield, MA • September 23 – September 29

Get caught reading a banned book! Use our background and props and your own phone to snap a photo of yourself with your favorite book from the lists of Frequently Banned and Challenged Books. Then post it to your social media to let people know you support the right to read freely! If you don’t mind us using your photo on our social media, use our hashtag, #SCLReadsFreely, and you could be featured on SCL’s Twitter or Facebook! All ages. Find out more »

Banned Books Readathon at Springfield City Library

Springfield City Library Central Branch, Springfield, MA • September 23 – September 29

We’re doing it again! Due to last year’s response, Banned Books Week this year will again include our all-ages Readathon! Can you read three banned books of your choice in a week? Sign up for our challenge and tell us what you plan on reading. For each book you finish, you get one entry into a raffle to win some cool prizes! Challenge yourself and bone up on classics old and new. Find out more »

Browne Parker Literary Press Annual Banned Books Read Out: A Celebration of Toni Morrison

Grant Park, Chicago, IL • 2:00 pm – 9:00 pm CDT

Annually since 2005, we at Browne Parker Literary Press have hosted a Banned Books Week Event, and many times Toni Morrison took the mainstage to read excerpts from The Bluest Eye, which has been challenged by many school districts and libraries. This year, to honor her legacy and to celebrate banned books, we will hold a read out exclusively featuring the works of Toni Morrison. Many local personalities will read selected excerpts from her works. Find out more »

Intellectual Freedom Fest

Marion Carnegie Library, Marion, IL • 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm CDT

Learn about intellectual freedoms, banned books week and censorship at this fun festival. Meet local authors, view the banned books week art exhibit, create a “Read Magazine” cover and more! Open to the public. Find out more »

8th Annual Banned Books Week Read-Aloud Read-a-Thon

San Diego Central Library, San Diego, CA • 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm PDT

Commemorate Banned Books Week, and join San Diego Public Library staff and community readers for the library’s annual Read-Aloud Read-a-thon. A new book and a new reader every 15-30 minutes. All are also invited to Banned Books Live! 2019, an entertaining evening of stage readings from censored books by actors from Write Out Loud, starting at 6:30pm. And while you’re here check out the historical banned books displays on the 1st and 2nd floors of the library. Find out more »

Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark — Keep the Light On: The Suppression of Thoughts, Ideas in Culture, Places, Art, and Children’s Literature

Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT • 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

A panel discussion about censorship in literature, art, media and prisons. This event will take place at Eastern Connecticut State University at the J. Eugene Smith Library in The Paul E.Johnson Community Conference Room. Find out more »

Banned Books Trivia

Spectators Bar & Grill, Bozeman, MT • 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm MDT

ACLU Montana, Bozeman Public Library, Country Bookshelf, and MSU Library partner to host Banned Book Trivia at Spectators Bar and Grill. Mary Ann Hansen of MSU Library will MC the event, and Chrysti the Wordsmith and Bozeman High School English teacher Heidi Robison will co-host. Find out more »

Banned Book Read-Out

Suwannee River Regional Library, Live Oak, FL • 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT

For Banned Books Week, our library will be recognizing books that have been banned or challenged and will be celebrating the freedom to read whatever we choose. John Bell will be reading selections from banned classics such as Black Beauty, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and many more! Find out more »

Rayceen’s Reading Room

Cleveland Park Library, Washington DC • 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT

Team Rayceen presents Rayceen’s Reading Room Hosted by Rayceen Pendarvis Kickoff event for Banned Books Week Featuring authors, poets, comedians, and more Free and open to the public! Please check @TeamRayceen on social media for announcements about guests and performers. This event will take place in the newly renovated Cleveland Park Library, in the community room, directly across from the main entrance on Connecticut Avenue NW. Doors to the community room will open by 6pm and the program will begin at 7pm. Find out more »

Banned Books Film: The Giver

Caldwell Public Library, Caldwell, ID • 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm MDT

In celebration of Banned Books Week, join us for a screening of The Giver based on the book by Lois Lowry. The Giver: Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) lives in a seemingly idyllic world of conformity and contentment. When he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), an old man who is the sole keeper of the community’s memories, Jonas discovers the dangerous truths of his community’s secret past. Find out more »

Banned Books Live! 2019

San Diego Central Library, San Diego, CA • 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm PDT

During Banned Books Week, join us for an evening of forbidden knowledge in books censored in the US in 2018. Stage actors from Write Out Loud and more will perform live readings from selected books marked with the scarlet letter of censorship.  Join us for an entertaining evening of bacchanal revelry in the written word. Excerpts from the work of Toni Morrison will also be performed. Community readers are invited to read with us at the 8th Annual Banned Books Read-A-Thon earlier in the day. Find out more »

Banned Books Celebration

Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources, Valparaiso, IN • 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm CDT

Join us for an event celebrating banned books it the Christopher Center Community Room on Monday, September 23rd at 7 pm.  There will be readings from banned books, discussions about censorship and privacy, as well as related activities like blackout poetry.  Coffee and cookies will also be provided.  Censorship leaves us in the dark, so keep the the light on! Find out more »