Every year, bookstores, libraries, universities, and organizations host engaging programs that spotlight censorship. Are you hosting an event for Banned Books Week? Putting up a display? Let us know about it, and we’ll share it here for the world to find!

If you are organizing a virtual event, choose “Virtual Event” for the venue. If it is an in-person event, please provide complete address and time information, as well as contact information so we can send queries for clarification. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee your event will display correctly. Thank you!

If you have any questions, please email coordinator@bannedbooksweek.org

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Band Against the Ban in Arizona

Changing Hands Bookstore 300 West Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ, United States

Join the PEN Arizona Chapter in Phoenix as it welcomes local leaders and writers in support of free expression during Banned Books Week 2022. These speakers include Arizona Senator Christine Marsh, American Civil Liberties Union Policy Director Darrell Hill, and veteran Arizona Republic columnist EJ Montini. The evening will include education on the current environment of book ... Read More

Free
Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55
Recurring

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Virtual Event

Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Hosted by Tonya Todd, one new episode of Banned Books Conversations will be posted to YouTube each day. Panelists include authors and readers across the US and UK.

Free
Recurring

Banned Books Week Events at Ingalls Memorial Library

Ingalls Memorial Library 203 Main Street, Rindge, NH, United States

We are hosting Banned Books Events all week. Monday, Sept. 19 - Join us for the film "1984" starring John Hurt and Richard Burton.  1:00 - 3:00 Tuesday, Sept. 20 - We will be watching "Of Mice and Men" starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. 1:00 - 3:00 Wednesday, Sept. 21 - Join us for ... Read More

Banned Books Week at Mitchell Public Library

Mitchell Public Library 221 N. Duff St., Mitchell, SD, United States

Banned Books Week (September 18 - 24, 2022) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all ... Read More

Free
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Free Expression for Young People

Virtual Event

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 ... Read More

Free
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Gender Queer in Virginia Beach: A Case Study

Virtual Event

Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir achieved resounding victory in the Virginia courts. Join CBLDF for an inside look at the case from Maia's legal representation in Virginia Beach, Jeff Trexler (CBLDF Interim Director) and Steven Emmert. Learn the roots of the case, its progression through the legal system, and why the case was dismissed. This event is a great ... Read More

Free

The Censored Classroom: Why Book Bans and Restrictive Policies Hurt Us All – Webinar

Virtual Event

Join the Center for Educators & Schools in a conversation about how classroom censorship policies weaken the quality of education.   Book bans and classroom censorship policies are sweeping the nation. Join the Center for Educators & Schools in a conversation about how classroom censorship policies weaken the quality of education and negatively affect educators, ... Read More

Free
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Banned Books Instagram Live with George M. Johnson

Virtual Event

Kick off Banned Books Week with a special IG Live discussion featuring author George M. Johnson and Little District Bookstore owner Patrick Kern. @bookshop_org @iamgmjohnson @littledistrictbooks

Free

Banned Book read-a-loud

John C. Fant Memorial Library 1200 5th Avenue S, Columbus, MS, United States

Since the inception of Banned Books Week in 1982, libraries and bookstores throughout the country have staged local read-outs, continuous readings of banned and challenged books. This year, we will join the action by hosting a read-aloud of banned books, explaining their importance and sharing their words. Join us virtually or in-person on Monday, September ... Read More

Banned Book Party

Jervis Public Library 613 North Washington Street, Rome, NY, United States

Join us on the library lawn for an educational celebration of banned and challenged books. There will be games and activities relating to banned books with fun prizes and more. Listen to banned children's books, create your own blackout poem, and learn about how the library bill of rights stands in opposition to censorship of ... Read More

Free
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The Kids Are Alright: Youth Activists on Fighting Censorship

Virtual Event

What is it like to be the only teen protesting censorship at school board meetings? How do you go from being the only voice of opposition to leading the fight against censorship in your community – and inspiring others to do the same? In this program, Banned Books Week Youth Honorary Chair Cameron Samuels (they/them) ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Week Trivia Night

Upper Arlington Public Library - Tremont Branch 2800 Tremont Rd., Columbus, OH

Answer trivia about favorite children's books that have been banned or challenged throughout history. This trivia night is designed for elementary and middle school kids and their families.

Free
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Virtual Event: Banned Books, Fahrenheit 451, and the Division Censorship Creates

Virtual Event

Join PEN Across America, Mount Vernon Public Library, and Banned Book Week Chairs Alyssa Gómez Lawrence and Debbie Nabubwaya Chambers on Monday, September 19 at 7:00 PM for an online discussion of Ray Bradbury’s classic novel, Fahrenheit 451 and the issues the book raises around censorship and free expression. About Fahrenheit 451: Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the ... Read More

Featured Featured

When Your Book Is Banned: The Author’s Perspective

Virtual Event

What is the impact on authors when their books are banned from schools, libraries, and elsewhere? What challenges do they face? Does it affect sales or marketing? Does it change what or how they write going forward, or impact their ability to sell their next book? Much of the public discourse focuses on the politics ... Read More

Free
Recurring

Live Tour of The Banned Books Museum

Virtual Event

The Banned Books Museum collects and exhibits banned, burned, and censored books from around the world. To celebrate Banned Books Week, we're live-streaming an online tour of our museum, located in Tallinn, Estonia, with a new section every day! Tune in daily to hear museum director Joseph Dunnigan talk about censorship around the world, highlighting ... Read More

Free
Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55

Banned Books Week Display at Infinity Flux

Infinity Flux 3643 Hixson Pike, Chattanooga, TN, United States

Banned Books Week Display at Infinity Flux Featuring a rotating selection of comics and graphic novels that have been banned or challenged.

Recurring

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Virtual Event

Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Hosted by Tonya Todd, one new episode of Banned Books Conversations will be posted to YouTube each day. Panelists include authors and readers across the US and UK.

Free
Recurring

Banned Books Week Events at Ingalls Memorial Library

Ingalls Memorial Library 203 Main Street, Rindge, NH, United States

We are hosting Banned Books Events all week. Monday, Sept. 19 - Join us for the film "1984" starring John Hurt and Richard Burton.  1:00 - 3:00 Tuesday, Sept. 20 - We will be watching "Of Mice and Men" starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. 1:00 - 3:00 Wednesday, Sept. 21 - Join us for ... Read More

Bannned Books Giveaway

Montana State University Library MSU Centennial Mall, Bozeman, MT, United States

This year, Montana State University Library is celebrating Banned Books Week with a banned and challenged books giveaway. Students are invited to stop by the library to get a free book and talk with librarians about the ways books unite us and censorship divides us. Students can also write a postcard to their favorite banned ... Read More

Free
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Spotlight on George M. Johnson

Virtual Event

Join Banned Books Week Honorary Chair George M. Johnson for an intimate conversation about censorship and how it impacts readers, especially young adults. Johnson will discuss the censorship of their critically acclaimed bestselling novel All Boys Aren’t Blue, which was the third title on the American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021, ... Read More

Free
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Banned Books Week: This Story Matters

Housing Works Bookstore 126 Crosby Street, New York, NY, United States

Censorship continues a record-breaking sweep across our nation in the form of book bans, removal of literacy materials from school libraries, and the limitation on educators’ speech in the classroom. Teachers, parents, and citizens often feel hopeless when seeking ways to combat censorship, but there are some novel approaches recently taken by libraries, associations, and ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Trivia at Bier One

Bier One 255 SW 9th Street, Newport, OR, United States

2022 Banned Books Week: Banned Books Trivia at Bier One (NEWPORT, OREGON) – Staff at the Newport Public Library is excited to announce that the Library is celebrating Banned Books Week! Banned Books Week takes place from September 18-24, 2022. The theme of Banned Books Week 2022 is “Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us.”  As ... Read More

Free
Featured Featured

The Book Ban Wave: Educational Censorship in SoCal

Virtual Event

The U.S. has seen a dramatic rise in school book bans and educational censorship, in the guise of prohibitions on teachers, libraries, and curricula. Nationwide, students, teachers, and parents are facing a wave of these measures, which disproportionately target books about people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, or books engaging themes of sexuality and gender. Books ... Read More

Free

Banned Book Week Read-In With Love

Park Springs Park, Bentonville, AR 300 NW 10th St, Bentonville, AR, United States

Join Girl Scout Troop 5209 and PFLAG of NWA for a Read-In With Love! Bring a banned or challenged book to read, one to donate, and enjoy crafts, snacks, and trivia at the park.

Free

Book Club: “Fahrenheit 451”

110 Grill Stratham, NH 19 Portsmouth Ave, Stratham, NH, United States

Join us again for our in-person book club meeting at the 110 Grill with Assistant Library Director Scott Campbell. In support of Banned Books Week, and continuing our theme of books about books, both the library's in-person and Zoom book groups will read Ray Bradbury's classic dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451." We will be sharing our ... Read More

Banned Book Movie Night: Fahrenheit 451

Coralville Public Library 1401 5th Street, Coraliville, IA, United States

Join us for a free movie night at the Coralville Public Library.  We are showing Fahrenheit 451 (1966) for Banned Books Week. Fahrenheit 451 In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.  Based on the book by the same title by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 ... Read More

Free

Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses”

Dallas Institute of Humanities & Culture 2723 Routh St, Dallas, TX, United States

Salman Rushdie’s exuberant novel, The Satanic Verses, has cast a long shadow since its publication almost 35 years ago. Most recently, with the horrific attempt on Rushdie's life, we are reminded of what is at stake in our world: the ability to speak, write, and create without fear. Yet what exactly are the true literary ... Read More

$30
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Banned Book Week Social Hour in Durham, North Carolina

Queeny's 321 East Chapel Hill Street, #Suite 100, Durham, NC, United States

For Banned Book Week 2022, PEN Piedmont North Carolina, in partnership with the North Carolina Writers Network, will be hosting a free speech “social cocktail hour” with drinks and appetizers. This event will provide an opportunity for free speech advocates, librarians, authors, and the general public to share their thoughts and possible advocacy tools regarding the recent ... Read More

Free

Fighting Words: Censorship & Banned Books

Virtual Event

Join authors Jeff Zentner and Jessie Ann Foley for a virtual discussion about censorship, banned books, and the importance of reading. Find the Zoom link at https://wp.me/pbFvB5-11V4

Free
Featured Featured Recurring

Books on the Chopping Block

DePaul University Library 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

FREE readings around Chicago and Chicago suburbs.  Various venues.  See website for full list of events. Books on the Chopping Block is our annual 60-minute performance of dramatic readings of short excerpts taken from these books. City Lit has teamed up with the ALA in celebration of Banned Books Week since 2006, performing at special ... Read More

Recurring

Live Tour of The Banned Books Museum

Virtual Event

The Banned Books Museum collects and exhibits banned, burned, and censored books from around the world. To celebrate Banned Books Week, we're live-streaming an online tour of our museum, located in Tallinn, Estonia, with a new section every day! Tune in daily to hear museum director Joseph Dunnigan talk about censorship around the world, highlighting ... Read More

Free
Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55

Banned Book Trivia

Constant Spring 219 S Main S, Goshen, IN, United States

Test your knowledge of banned books and the history of censorship. One round, 30 questions hosted at Constant Spring, Tuesday, September 20th at 8:30 pm. See you there!

Free

“Never Forget” — Children’s Literature and Historical Revisionism in the Philippines

Virtual Event

This Banned Books Week event offers a Philippine perspective on children's literature and censorship. In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines, a panel of Filipino authors and book distributors will discuss the role of children’s literature in documenting the truths about the Marcos dictatorship, especially in an ... Read More

Free
Recurring

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Virtual Event

Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Hosted by Tonya Todd, one new episode of Banned Books Conversations will be posted to YouTube each day. Panelists include authors and readers across the US and UK.

Free
Recurring

Banned Books Week Events at Ingalls Memorial Library

Ingalls Memorial Library 203 Main Street, Rindge, NH, United States

We are hosting Banned Books Events all week. Monday, Sept. 19 - Join us for the film "1984" starring John Hurt and Richard Burton.  1:00 - 3:00 Tuesday, Sept. 20 - We will be watching "Of Mice and Men" starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. 1:00 - 3:00 Wednesday, Sept. 21 - Join us for ... Read More

Featured Featured Recurring

Books on the Chopping Block

DePaul University Library 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

FREE readings around Chicago and Chicago suburbs.  Various venues.  See website for full list of events. Books on the Chopping Block is our annual 60-minute performance of dramatic readings of short excerpts taken from these books. City Lit has teamed up with the ALA in celebration of Banned Books Week since 2006, performing at special ... Read More

Featured Featured

Books on the Chopping Block! Banned Books Week Performance

John T Richardson Library 2350 North Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

The DePaul University Library welcomes City Lit Theater for Books on the Chopping Block! a performance of selections from the most frequently banned and challenged books of 2021. Q&A with the performers to follow. This is a hybrid event, open to the DePaul University community and our neighbors. Join us via Zoom or in person ... Read More

Free
Featured Featured

How to Fight Book Bans in Your Community

Virtual Event

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 ... Read More

Featured Featured

Breaking Bans: A Celebration of Challenged Books

Virtual Event

Join Penguin Random House and Booklist for a special Banned Books Week event to hear from authors Nikole Hannah-Jones (The 1619 Project), Renée Watson (The 1619 Project: Born on the Water), Kim Johnson (This is My America), and Kyle Lukoff (Different Kinds of Fruit and Too Bright to See), who have all experienced first-hand having ... Read More

Free

Banned books Week

Business And Technology University I. Chavchavadze Avenue N82, Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia

BTU Library, Palitra L Publishing • Publishing in partnership with Palitra L, hosts International Banned Books Week. ➡ On September 21 at 15:00 (Tbilisi time), a discussion of George Orwell's bestselling books: "Animal Farm" and 1984 will be held at the University of Business and Technology. 🔸 Speaker: Mikheil Antadze 🔹 book exhibition and sale ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Club

George Reynolds Library 3595 Table Mesa Dr., Boulder, Colorado

Read and examine books that have been banned from schools and libraries over the past several years, and discuss issues of censorship and intellectual freedom. Each month participants will choose their own book from the following genres to read and bring to the club: September: Graphic Novels October: Young Adult November: Fiction December: Nonfiction January: Picture ... Read More

Banned Books Read-In at North Central College

Oesterle Library at North Central College 320 School Street, Naperville, IL, United States

Celebrate your favorite banned books out loud with the Shimer Great Books School! The Shimer Great Books School at North Central College invites you to a “read-in” in our Oesterle Library and Learning Commons. Bring a selection from your favorite banned book to read out loud, discuss with Shimer students and faculty, and learn more ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Read-In with the Shimer Great Books School

Oesterle Library at North Central College 320 School Street, Naperville, IL, United States

In defiance of recent and ongoing book bannings, we’ll be occupying and reading to the main room of Oesterle Library on Wednesday, September 21, at 5:00 pm. All are welcome to converse, eat some dinner (on us!), and read a selection out loud from your favorite banned book. If you’d like to read but aren’t ... Read More

Free
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Restricted Access: The American History of Book Banning

New York Public Library: Celeste Bartos Forum 476 Fifth Ave, New York, NY, United States

Censorship and book bans are nothing new in American life. In the 19th century, it was the federal Comstock laws barring the delivery and distribution of “every obscene, lewd, or lascivious” book. Today, books that highlight race, gender, or sexuality are being yanked from public shelves around the country. Join PEN America and the New ... Read More

Free
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A Conversation About Banned Books with Angie Thomas and Jerry Craft

Virtual Event

Join New York Times bestselling authors Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, Concrete Rose) and Jerry Craft (New Kid, Class Act) for a conversation about the censorship of books dealing with racial identity and racism. The authors will discuss the censorship of their work and the implications for readers, authors, and the community. They will be joined by Jeremy C. Young, Senior ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Readout: Exploring Our Cultures

Lake Shore Branch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library 4857 Lake Shore Rd #5543, Hamburg, NY, United States

Join us as we explore the stories of our rich and diverse cultures. This program is for those wishing to hear storeis from censored books during Banned Books Week. Books will be read by members of the represented communities. Appropriate for ages 6-12.

Featured Featured

Resisting Censorship in Austin – A Community Reading of Banned Books

Spider House Ballroom 2908 Fruth St, Austin, TX, United States

Join PEN Austin as we celebrate the right to read during Banned Book Week 2022 with a community reading of banned books. There has been a deluge of book bans in Texas. PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans has listed 1,586 instances of individual books being banned within a nine-month period, 712 from the state of Texas alone; ... Read More

Free

Meet the Author: Ryan Estrada

Virtual Event

The author of the graphic memoirs Banned Book Club, Occulted and No Rules Tonight, Ryan Estrada has worked with many people who changed their lives, and the world, by reading banned books. Join the artist/author for a stimulating discussion on why books are banned and what we gain from reading them. Please register. You will be emailed a link no later ... Read More

Featured Featured

Banned Books and Body Autonomy in Birmingham

Burdock Book Collective 4413 5th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, United States

Join PEN Birmingham for an intimate conversation centering the issue of restrictive book bans targeting women, queer, trans and intersex people in an era of increasing threats to body autonomy. In Alabama, sex education is not currently mandated, and schools that do teach sex education must emphasize abstinence. Books that offer perspectives of LGBTQ+ people are routinely ... Read More

Free

Open Eyes: Banned Books, Kids, and the War on Reading

Virtual Event

In state after state, local community members, school boards and elected lawmakers are challenging the rights of children and young adults to read books like Gender Queer and The 1619 Project. Even a children’s biography of Rosa Parks has made a list of banned books. This growing national tension between young people’s rights to read ... Read More

Free
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Virtual Event: Defending LGBTQ Literature in Oklahoma

Virtual Event

Join PEN Tulsa for a virtual conversation addressing the homophobia and transphobia embedded in the recent wave of book bans in Oklahoma and across the country. Moderated by Tulsa-based writer and publisher Ryan Fitzgibbon, the conversation will feature celebrated author and illustrator Mike Curato and PEN Across America Director Program William Johnson. This conversation will offer strategies on how to push back against ... Read More

Free
Recurring

Live Tour of The Banned Books Museum

Virtual Event

The Banned Books Museum collects and exhibits banned, burned, and censored books from around the world. To celebrate Banned Books Week, we're live-streaming an online tour of our museum, located in Tallinn, Estonia, with a new section every day! Tune in daily to hear museum director Joseph Dunnigan talk about censorship around the world, highlighting ... Read More

Free
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Claiming Our Stories: LGBTQ Book Bans in America

Virtual Event

Amidst the growing threat of LGBTQ book bans nationwide, The Emancipator and GLAAD are teaming up to present a virtual Banned Books Week event at 7:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Sept. 21, featuring some of the nation’s best known LGBTQ authors and illustrators. The dialogue will be moderated by Banned Books Week Honorary Chair George M. Johnson, ... Read More

Free
Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55
Recurring

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Virtual Event

Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Hosted by Tonya Todd, one new episode of Banned Books Conversations will be posted to YouTube each day. Panelists include authors and readers across the US and UK.

Free

Banned Books Week Webinar: What’s the role of the Higher Ed community in supporting intellectual freedom?

Virtual Event

The higher education community is experiencing new challenges to intellectual freedom both from peers with different viewpoints and increasingly from state and local governments. At the same time, faculty and librarians still must provide students with an open and interactive learning environment that fosters the development of independent, critical thinking skills while steering them from ... Read More

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Practical Strategies for Defending Books in Your Library

Virtual Event

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 ... Read More

Featured Featured Recurring

Books on the Chopping Block

DePaul University Library 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

FREE readings around Chicago and Chicago suburbs.  Various venues.  See website for full list of events. Books on the Chopping Block is our annual 60-minute performance of dramatic readings of short excerpts taken from these books. City Lit has teamed up with the ALA in celebration of Banned Books Week since 2006, performing at special ... Read More

Banned Books Week Trivia Fun

FSCJ Deerwood Center Library and Learning Commons Jacksonville, FL, United States

Try our virtual escape room, answer trivia questions about censorship, make a button to keep, enter for a chance to win prizes.

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Free Speech & Banned Books: A Conversation with Azar Nafisi

Utah Museum of Fine Arts 410 Campus Center Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, United States

PEN America Utah, the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah, and author Azar Nafisi are partnering for an in-person conversation at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on Thursday, September 22 that will explore the role Humanities and Liberal Arts play in the preservation of democracy. This unscripted discussion will draw upon Nafisi’s own ... Read More

Free
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The Censorship of LGBTQ+ Comic Books with Maia Kobabe and Mike Curato

Virtual Event

Comic books have been targeted by censors for decades, from 1954 Senate subcommittee hearings about their alleged link to juvenile delinquency, to the implementation of a content code that nearly destroyed the industry, to today’s widespread attacks on comics, especially those that share the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals. Join the creators of two of today’s ... Read More

Free
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From Howl to Now: Book Bans in the US

Virtual Event

City Lights in conjunction with PEN America present FROM HOWL TO NOW: BOOK BANS IN THE U.S. Moderated by Ipek Burnett with appearances by Marcus Ewert, Justin Hall, Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes and Dashka Slater During Banned Books Week, PEN America and Bay Area authors come together to discuss the alarming rise in book bans ... Read More

Free

Ban These Books? Let’s Talk

Virtual Event

America’s burgeoning cultural wars have swept into school and community libraries, where works from Huckleberry Finn to Toni Morrison’s Beloved have long faced challenges. Now, a new politically charged wave of book-banning sentiment takes aim at titles on sexual and racial identity. Marking this year’s observance of Banned Books Week, September 18-24, a panel of veteran librarians from Kansas City-area ... Read More

free
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Free Banned Books Week Event With Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Rep. Cori Bush

Busboys and Poets (Anacostia) 2004 Martin Luther King Junior Avenue Southeast, Washington DC, United States

The Emancipator and Busboys and Poets invite you to an in-person conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Rep. Cori Bush to commemorate Banned Books Week. Come out for a lively discussion on the implications of book bans, as well as the growing embrace of censorship of all kinds in political rhetoric on Capitol Hill, ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Week: Conversation on Censorship

Chapel Hill Public Library 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Join Chapel Hill Public Library and Carolina Public Humanities for a conversation about intellectual freedom and the dangers of censorship during Banned Books Week. Topics to be covered by panelists include: Professor Tori Ekstrand from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism will discuss free speech, censorship, and media law. NC Deputy Director Renee Sekel of Red Wine and Blue, a ... Read More

Banned Comic Books

St. Louis Public Library - Central Library 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, MO, United States

Who’s afraid of comic books? Book bans across Missouri and the U.S. have often targeted graphic novels and comic books, especially those that depict issues of gender, sexuality and race. New Missouri laws will punish educators and school librarians who provide restricted materials to students with fines and jail time. This event considers banned comic books ... Read More

Free
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Intellectual Freedom & You: A Banned Books Week Webinar

Virtual Event

Book bans are on the rise across the country as states seemingly compete to see who can place the most restrictions on free speech. As this latest wave of censorship activity continues to build, what is your role as a library user? In this interactive webinar during Banned Books Week, you'll learn about why intellectual freedom ... Read More

Banned Books Week Trivia Night

Champion Brewing Company 324 6th St. SE, Charlottesville, VA, United States

Join library staff at Champion Brewery for chances to win prizes based on your knowledge of banned books. Teams of up to 4 can work together. Library staff will have copies of banned books on hand and passages from banned books will be read aloud between trivia rounds.

Free
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FREEDOM TO READ: Fighting Book Banning and Censorship in Our Libraries with Deborah Caldwell-Stone and Bridget Quinn

Virtual Event

In observance of Banned Book Week, MTH&M and Hartford Public Library present a virtual conversation between Deborah Caldwell-Stone, executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, and Hartford Public Library CEO Bridget Quinn. Presented in partnership with the Unite Against Book Bans campaign.  Upon its publication in 1885, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was immediately banned ... Read More

Free
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This Story Matters: An Intellectual Freedom Discussion with NCTE Affiliates

Virtual Event

As the school year begins, teachers and students are facing challenges to their intellectual freedom like never before. From state legislation to executive orders to school district policies to administrator actions, book bans are at an all-time high, and teacher shortages are affecting every corner of the nation. But as an ELA educator, you do ... Read More

Recurring

Live Tour of The Banned Books Museum

Virtual Event

The Banned Books Museum collects and exhibits banned, burned, and censored books from around the world. To celebrate Banned Books Week, we're live-streaming an online tour of our museum, located in Tallinn, Estonia, with a new section every day! Tune in daily to hear museum director Joseph Dunnigan talk about censorship around the world, highlighting ... Read More

Free

OMG, you can’t write that! Banned Books Online Event

Virtual Event

Join Humanist Society Scotland for an online evening of discussion to mark Banned Books Week 2022. In light of the recent horrific attack on Salman Rushdie and the increase in book banning in schools in the US, we wanted to create an event that highlights religious censorship of books. OMG, you can't write that! Books, ... Read More

Free
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ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55
Recurring

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Virtual Event

Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Hosted by Tonya Todd, one new episode of Banned Books Conversations will be posted to YouTube each day. Panelists include authors and readers across the US and UK.

Free
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A Conversation with Author Jennifer Niven

Virtual Event

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). ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Week

Business And Technology University I. Chavchavadze Avenue N82, Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia

BTU Library is hosting International Banned Books Week! Speaker: Davit Gorgiladze (Writer) Time and date: September 23, 14:00 (Tbilisi time) The meeting will be held at the University of Business and Technology (Tbilisi, Georgia) Book name - "City and Dogs"

Free

Intellectual Freedom – Banned Books Week Event

Dr. Ernie Bond Curriculum Resource Center 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD, United States

MLA Intellectual Freedom Panel and Salisbury University Libraries in conjunction with the Wicomico Public Library and the Eastern Shore Regional Libraries (ESRL) are hosting a Banned Book Week Event calling attention to current efforts to censor books, the impact such efforts have, and underscores the importance of the freedom to read. Please join us virtually ... Read More

Free
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Banned Books Bingo

Virtual Event

On September 12, at 3 p.m. ET, you are invited to join host Drag Queen Nebuer Styles for Banned Books Bingo. The Banned Books Bingo game card is available in ABA’s Banned Books Week digital assets. This virtual bingo game will not only be a lot of fun but it will also provide a blueprint ... Read More

Free
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Author Talk: George M. Johnson All Boys Aren’t Blue

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library 901 G St NW, Washington, DC, United States

In recognition of Banned Books Week, DC Public Library welcomes George M. Johnson, award-winning author of "All Boys Aren't Blue" and "We Are Not Broken." The DC Public Library is thrilled to host author and activist George M. Johnson, honorary chair of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week initiative. Johnson’s memoir “All Boys Aren’t Blue” has become ... Read More

Banned Book Reading

The Alwun House 1204 East Roosevelt Street, Phoenix, AZ, United States

The Arizona LGBT+ History Project will be hosting its Banned Books Reading on Friday, Sept 23 at the Alwun House  - 1204 E Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZ 85006. This will be a very special adult story time that focuses on book censorship, in conjunction with events like this happening across the country. Come participate in ... Read More

$10
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Live Tour of The Banned Books Museum

Virtual Event

The Banned Books Museum collects and exhibits banned, burned, and censored books from around the world. To celebrate Banned Books Week, we're live-streaming an online tour of our museum, located in Tallinn, Estonia, with a new section every day! Tune in daily to hear museum director Joseph Dunnigan talk about censorship around the world, highlighting ... Read More

Free
Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55
Recurring

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Virtual Event

Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Hosted by Tonya Todd, one new episode of Banned Books Conversations will be posted to YouTube each day. Panelists include authors and readers across the US and UK.

Free

Banned Books at Brick Road Coffee!

brick road coffee 4415 S Rural Rd Suite 10, Tempe, AZ, United States

Drag Story Hour - Arizona's first in-person Banned Books Week event since 2019! Please join Freddy Prinze Charming at Brick Road Coffee to learn how censorship affects the world of children's literature and how you and your family can advocate for the freedom to read! Visit bannedbooksweek.org for more information on Banned Books Week. Find our booklist ... Read More

Free
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Let’s Get Organized: Fighting Book Bans Together

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library 901 G St NW, Washington, DC, United States

For Banned Books Week, National Book Award–honored author Kyle Lukoff (Too Bright to See, 2021 Young People’s Literature Finalist), DC Public Library Teen Services Coordinator Joanna Harris, and Managing Director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression Programs Nadine Farid Johnson sit down to discuss the value of writing, publishing, and access to diverse books, and how we can come together and unite ... Read More

Free

Pushing Back Against the Banning of Books

East Side Freedom Library 1105 Greenbrier Street, Saint Paul, MN

Access to books and ideas are at the center of the cultural and political war raging in the United States, and libraries and schools have become battlegrounds. The East Side Freedom Library intends to be a space where ideas can be freely discussed and where books from diverse cultural and ideological perspectives are available. We ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Week Trivia!

Royal Oak Public Library 222 E 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak, United States

In celebration of Banned Books Week, we feature a first ever and yet already world famous BANNED BOOKS TRIVIA! Come to the Friends Auditorium to compete (and learn!) with your friends, family members, neighbors, random people you meet on the street, to earn the shining glory of WINNER OF BANNED BOOKS TRIVIA! The renown is ... Read More

Free

Maus – An In Person Reading

New Brunswick Free Public Library 58 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

An in-person book reading of Maus on  Saturday, 9/24/2022, from 2:00PM - 5:00PM at the New Brunswick Free Public Library's Henry Guest House. The location is: 58 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901.  Masks are required!   https://www.nbfpl.org/

Free
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The Battle for the Right to Read What You Want

Brooklyn Public Library 10 Grand Army Plz, Brooklyn, NY, United States

Last month Summer Boismier, a high school English teacher in Norman, Oklahoma, lost her job when she provided students with the QR Code to Brooklyn Public Library’s “Books Unbanned” initiative, which gives out-of-state teens access to the Library's eBook collection, including books that might be banned where they live. Boismier's story went viral and became ... Read More

Free
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Celebrating Black Gay Literature Amidst a Wave of Book Bans

Source Booksellers 4240 Cass Avenue, Unit 105, Detroit, MI, United States

Join PEN America Detroit for a Banned Book Week in-person discussion on the anti-Blackness and homophobia inherent in the slate of book bans around the country. This conversation will offer strategies on how to push back against the recent book bans, while also offering a space to celebrate black gay literature in all of its permutations. Moderated ... Read More

Free

Banned Books Social

Booksweet 1729 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Banned Books Week (9/18-9/24) is an annual national celebration of our freedom to read. Join Booksweet on Saturday, September 24 at 7 pm for a Banned Books Social! Fun includes: Banned Book Party Games – low stress, lots of fun, and a great way to meet fellow book enthusiasts Delicious snacks and iced tea from our neighbors at Exotic Bakeries ... Read More

Free
Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55

A Surge of Book Banning: An Ominous Move Toward a Fascist America. Needed: Resistance – and Revolution!

Revolution Books Berkeley 2444 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA

Teacher/resister Summer Boismier, author Julia Scheeres, librarian Sheila Dickinson, and the staff of Revolution Books We will read from some of the targeted books and discuss the epidemic of book banning, the ominous signal it sends about where some powerful forces want to take this country, why it has exploded across America especially, but not ... Read More

Recurring

ALABAMA STORY at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA, United States

It's a play about books, censorship, home, the past, and the future. And above all, it's a play about stories. As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a simple children’s picture book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 ... Read More

$15 – $55

Banned Books Community Read Aloud

Chapel Hill Public Library 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

As part of Banned Books Week, we've invited community guests to read excerpts from favorite children's books that have recently been banned or challenged to “see what all the fuss is about.” All ages are welcome. Banned Books Week is an annual, national celebration of your freedom to read, held September 18 – 24 this year. ... Read More