Banned Books Week is finally here! We have a rundown of virtual events and the many, many ways you can participate in the celebration on social media! Censorship is a dead end — find your freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 27 – October 3!
Join the Banned Books Week Coalition and the National Council of Teachers of English at 5:00 p.m. CDT on September 28 for a special Banned Books Week Facebook Live event with author Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints, Dragon Hoops)! The event will broadcast live with NCTE on Facebook. More…
Join the Banned Books Week Coalition and the National Coalition Against Censorship at 6:00 p.m. EDT, September 29, for an exclusive Facebook Live event with Grammy Award-winning musicians and free expression heroes Portugal. The Man! The event celebrates Banned Books Week, which takes place September 23 – October 3, 2020, and will broadcast live on the NCAC Facebook page. More…
Join the Banned Books Week Coalition and ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom at 1:00 p.m. CDT, September 30, for an exclusive Facebook Live event with acclaimed and award-winning author Alex Gino! The event celebrates Banned Books Week, which takes place September 23 – October 3, 2020, and will broadcast live on the Banned Books Week Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/bannedbooksweek/). More…
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 events, libraries and bookstores in and around Chicago…and virtually this year. More…
Alex Cox (Image Comics) in conversation with a member of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table on the history of the Comics Code Authority and its impact on comics censorship. This discussion will also touch on how current ratings systems and library classifications can impact readership. Register here. More…
On Sept. 29, SAGE Publishing and OIF will host the free webinar “COVID-19 and Academic Censorship,” which will address e-books, internet control, and open data. The free webinar is limited to the first 1,000 guests. Register here. More…
Librarians Allison Bailund (San Diego State University), Hallie Clawson (University of Washington Information School), and Rotem Anna Diamant (Canada Comics Open Library) in conversation with Brittany Netherton (Darien Public Library) on how the metadata of comics can limit and grant access to comics. From proper crediting of creators to the details of a catalog record – comics metadata creates access. Moderated by Brittany Netherton, Head of Knowledge and Learning Services, Darien Library. Register here. More…
Valentine De Landro (Bitch Planet, X-Factor), Johnnie Christmas (Tartatus, Sheltered) and Chuck Brown (Bitter Root) in a conversation on how Black people have been historically portrayed in comics, from the obstacles of integrating Black characters into mainstream and superhero comics to present day works, issues Black creators face working in the comics industry, and the importance of non-white characters existing on the comics page. Moderated by Tamela Chambers, Librarian and Public Library Chair the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). Register here. More…
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 events, libraries and bookstores in and around Chicago…and virtually this year. More…
It’s not just libraries that have banned comics – sometimes it’s the comics industry itself. Chloe Ramos (Image Comics) and other panelists in conversation with Dan Wood (Escondido Public Library) will discuss how harassment serves as a form of censorship within the industry by creating unsafe and unwelcoming environments, and how awareness of these issues is important for librarians to understand. Register here. More…
Celebrate your freedom to read by joining us for a virtual presentation of dramatic readings by City Lit Theater Company featuring the American Library Association’s list of top 10 most challenged books of 2019. City Lit has performed this annual event since 2006 and is excited to showcase these books and to engage with you about censorship and the freedom to read during a Q&A session following the readings. More…
October 2
On Oct. 2, OIF will host a national watch party of “Scary Stories,” a documentary about the banned and challenged series “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz, followed by a Q&A with director Cody Meirick on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel. Libraries and readers are invited to stream the documentary on Tubi or Amazon Prime at 6 p.m. CST and join the conversation on Twitter using #CensorshipisScary or on the Facebook event page. Libraries are invited to host their own watch parties as a Banned Books Week program; more details are available at ala.org/bbooks/scarystories.
Charles Soule (Undiscovered Country, Daredevil) in conversation with Matthew Noe (GNCRT President-Elect) on why comics so often wind up on annual most challenged books lists, what comics are most often challenged, and what you can do to overcome negative opinions of comics. Register here. More…
Celebrate on Social Media
Customizable Downloads
Make your own Banned Books Week assets for social media! We have several different formats of our main banner that you can add your own information to, or you can share your favorite banned books and trivia with our customizable digital shelftalkers! Check out the entire set or downloadables here. More…
#BannedBooksWeek in Action
Each day of Banned Books Week, OIF will promote a different action that spotlights literary activism. Titled #BannedBooksWeek in Action, readers are encouraged to share their activities on social media with the hashtag, focusing on the following daily topics:
Sunday: Read a banned book
Monday: Speak out about censorship
Tuesday: Create something unrestricted
Wednesday: Express the freedom to read in style
Thursday: Write about your rights
Friday: Watch, listen, and learn from others
Saturday: Thank those who defend the freedom to read every day of the year
Dear Banned Author
The annual Dear Banned Author letter-writing campaign encourages readers to write, tweet or email their favorite banned/challenged author during Banned Books Week. Postcards, author addresses and Twitter handles, and tips for hosting virtual programs can be found at ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/dear-banned-author. Examples of letters and programs are published on the Intellectual Freedom Blog. Those who use #DearBannedAuthor on Twitter will be entered into a grand prize drawing of Banned Books Week merchandise. Details and Official Rules are listed on the Dear Banned Author webpage.
Stand for the Banned Read-Out
Since the inception of Banned Books Week in 1982, libraries and bookstores throughout the country have staged local read-outs of banned and challenged books. The Stand for the Banned Read-Outinvites readers to submit brief videos of themselves reading from a banned book or discussing censorship. Submitted videos may be added to the Banned Books Week YouTube channel.
Banned Books Week is almost here! If you’re looking for someone to respond to press inquiries; someone to take part in your programming; information about censorship in schools, libraries, bookstores, and more; or ways to report censorship, the members of the Banned Books Week Coalition are ready to help. Keep reading to learn more about our amazing member organizations!
American Booksellers Association: The American Booksellers for Free Expression
Founded in 1948, the American Society of Journalists and Authors is the nation’s professional organization of independent nonfiction writers. Our membership consists of outstanding freelance writers of magazine articles, trade books, and many other forms of nonfiction writing, each of whom has met ASJA’s exacting standards of professional achievement. https://asja.org/
The Authors Guild is the nation’s oldest and largest professional organization for writers. Since its beginnings over a century ago, we have served as the collective voice of American authors. Our members include novelists, historians, journalists, and poets—traditionally and independently published—as well as literary agents and representatives of writers’ estates. The Guild advocates for authors on issues of copyright, fair contracts, free speech, and tax fairness, and has initiated lawsuits in defense of authors’ rights, where necessary. https://www.authorsguild.org/
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. PEN America, founded in 1922, is the largest of more than 100 centers of PEN International. For more than 90 years, we have been working together with our colleagues in the international PEN community to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to make it possible for everyone to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others. https://pen.org/
Project Censored educates students and the public about the importance of a truly free press for democratic self-government. We expose and oppose news censorship, and we promote independent investigative journalism, media literacy, and critical thinking. An informed public is crucial to democracy in at least two basic ways. First, without access to relevant news and opinion, people cannot fully participate in government. Second, without media literacy, people cannot evaluate for themselves the quality or significance of the news they receive. Censorship undermines democracy. Project Censored’s work—including our annual book, weekly radio broadcasts, campus affiliates program, and additional community events—highlights the important links among a free press, media literacy and democratic self-government. https://www.projectcensored.org/
Banned Books Week is fast approaching, but thanks to virtual programming and social media, you still have time to join the celebration September 27-October 3!
While you may not be able to hold in-person events, there are plenty of ways to engage your patrons and students using videoconferencing, webinars, and social media! Some ideas and Banned Books Week Coalition resources follow to help guide your planning!
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has programs you can participate in during Banned Books Week! A quick rundown follows, but you can find out more here.
Each day of Banned Books Week, OIF will promote a different action that spotlights literary activism. Titled #BannedBooksWeek in Action, readers are encouraged to share their activities on social media with the hashtag, focusing on the following daily topics:
Sunday: Read a banned book
Monday: Speak out about censorship
Tuesday: Create something unrestricted
Wednesday: Express the freedom to read in style
Thursday: Write about your rights
Friday: Watch, listen, and learn from others
Saturday: Thank those who defend the freedom to read every day of the year
Dear Banned Author
The annual Dear Banned Author letter-writing campaign encourages readers to write, tweet or email their favorite banned/challenged author during Banned Books Week. Postcards, author addresses and Twitter handles, and tips for hosting virtual programs can be found at ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/dear-banned-author. Examples of letters and programs are published on the Intellectual Freedom Blog. Those who use #DearBannedAuthor on Twitter will be entered into a grand prize drawing of Banned Books Week merchandise. Details and Official Rules are listed on the Dear Banned Author webpage.
Stand for the Banned Read-Out
Since the inception of Banned Books Week in 1982, libraries and bookstores throughout the country have staged local read-outs of banned and challenged books. The Stand for the Banned Read-Outinvites readers to submit brief videos of themselves reading from a banned book or discussing censorship. Submitted videos may be added to the Banned Books Week YouTube channel.
OIF Webinars and Watch Parties
On Sept. 29, SAGE Publishing and OIF will host the free webinar “COVID-19 and Academic Censorship,” which will address e-books, internet control, and open data. The free webinar is limited to the first 1,000 guests.
On Oct. 2, OIF will host a national watch party of “Scary Stories,” a documentary about the banned and challenged series “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz, followed by a Q&A with director Cody Meirick on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel. Libraries and readers are invited to stream the documentary on Tubi or Amazon Prime at 6 p.m. CST and join the conversation on Twitter using #CensorshipisScary or on the Facebook event page. Libraries are invited to host their own watch parties as a Banned Books Week program; more details are available at ala.org/bbooks/scarystories.
#NCTEChat—Find Your Freedom to Read
Join NCTE on Sunday, September 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET for an #NCTEchat in which Betsy Gomez (@BannedBooksWeek), coordinator of the Banned Books Week Coalition, will lead a conversation on Banned Books Week 2020, the annual celebration of the freedom to read.
The following questions will be shared during the Twitter chat:
WARM-UP: Please introduce yourself. Tell us your name, location, the grade level you teach, and share the books you are currently reading as we head into fall. #NCTEchat [8:04 p.m.]
Q1: The theme of this year’s #BannedBooksWeek (Sept 27–Oct 3) is Censorship Is a Dead End. What are some texts that help your students navigate the world around them and help them find their freedom to read? #NCTEchat [8:10 p.m.]
Q2: Face-to-face interaction can make it easier to teach books that some find challenging or even controversial. What are some best practices for teaching this material during virtual and socially distanced instruction? #NCTEchat [8:18 p.m.]
Q3: Many students have had limited access to reading materials and information during the pandemic. What are some resources and practices that encourage reading and enable access to information during this time? #NCTEchat [8:26 p.m.]
Q4: Books help students explore worlds, lives, and experiences beyond their own, but censorship impacts access to these stories. How do you encourage students to speak out about the books they’ve read or want to read? #NCTEchat [8:34 p.m.]
Q5: What resources (articles, policies, websites, organizations etc.) have you found useful in dealing with or preparing for challenges to your instructional material? #NCTEchat [8:42 p.m.]
Q6: How do you plan to celebrate #BannedBooksWeek and the freedom to read with your students? #NCTEchat [8:50 p.m.]
We hope to see you there! Be sure to join us by using #NCTEchat.
Never participated in a Twitter chat before? Check out this guide to help you get started.
CBLDF: Virtual Event Safety
Ensure the safety of your patrons with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund‘s best practices guide, “Virtual Event Safety.” This simple visual reference helps retailers, educators, librarians, and creators protect themselves and the people joining their virtual events!
“Virtual Event Safety” provides tips on how to protect privacy, manage inappropriate behavior, and protect young people. It also has a helpful checklist and table to help you make decisions for hosting your event.”
The Banned Books Week Coalition is an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship.
Unfortunately, some community members might object to certain books being available. It is important to manage those objections with professionalism, respect, and dedication to the mission of serving your community. Here are some useful tips.
Be Prepared
Specific written policies about collection development and challenge management are essential for libraries, educators, and theaters, and they’re also a good idea for retailers. Having a policy is just the first step — be sure to train all current and new staff in your policies and procedures and have periodic refresher sessions to ensure everyone on your team is on the same page. It may also be a good idea to post the policy somewhere where patrons can access it, either on a bulletin board or your institution’s website. Regularly update your policies as you gain experience, encounter new obstacles, or embrace new technology.
In addition to policies, some advance preparation can help prevent challenges to books, comics, and plays. Work with your staff to develop talking points for specific issues that you might encounter.
American Booksellers for Free Expression has created a number of tools to help retailers advocate for free expression here.
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund recently released Selling Comics, a guide to comics retailing that also includes several chapters on the freedom to sell comics. CBLDF’s Retailer Rights Workshops provide hands on information. If you are interested in hosting or participating, contact CBLDF at info@cbldf.org
Remember Your Community
Libraries and schools have a broad mandate to provide choice for all of the individuals in their community. That means that they provide access to ideas and information across the spectrum of political and social views. Retail stores and theaters can be more specialized in their mission, but they also serve a wide range of patrons. When confronting a complaint, it is important to emphasize this inclusive approach and remind people that they are free to make decisions for themselves and their minor children, but they can’t do so for others.
Serving the broader community doesn’t mean that staff at libraries and bookstores are substitute parents or guardians. Communicating with parents and providing expert knowledge to help them and their children make choices is a best practice, but parents need to understand that the final decision about their kids’ reading is their own.
Keep It Friendly
When someone comes to you with a complaint or challenge, be polite, professional, and friendly even if the individual making the complaint is upset or angry. We may disagree with the person making the challenge, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore or discount the concerns expressed. Here are a few best practices for these difficult situations:
Greet each person with a smile. Communicate your openness to inquiries and concerns, and show that you take them seriously.
Listen more than you talk. Take time to comprehend and acknowledge the individual’s concern. Stay calm and courteous.
Avoid sharing personal opinions. Instead, be prepared to present facts, policy, and other background materials in writing.
Give a clear, non-intimidating explanation of the procedure for registering a complaint or challenge, and provide information on when a decision can be expected.
Enlist Experts
You don’t need to go it alone! Contact the member organizations of the Banned Books Week Coalition, whose expert staff can help you manage the situation with proactive resources, one-on-one advice, letters of support, and more. Even if you’ve already resolved the situation, reporting the challenge will help advocates develop tools to assist other people in your situation.
Strong policies, good training, and adherence to your procedures are vital to creating the best outcome in challenge situations. People challenging content are generally well-intentioned, and they have a right to be heard. Having policies that allow you to hear their complaints and consider them objectively helps maintain a respectful approach to ensuring your institution serves the needs of everyone in your community in the best way possible — but those policies aren’t much use if you don’t stick to them!
Report Censorship!
The members of the Banned Books Week Coalition are ready to help fight challenges in your community, but we need to hear about them first! The best way to fight censorship is to call it out when it occurs. Several members of the Coalition have ways to report censorship, and they work collectively to ensure your rights:
Report censorship to the American Library Association using this form. ALA also has a number of challenge support tools here.
Report censorship to the National Coalition Against Censorship by completing this form.
Report censorship to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund by calling 1-888-88-CBLDF or 971-266-8212 or emailing info@cbldf.org
Banned Books Week is almost here, but it’s not too late to put together a display or event at your library, school, or store! The Banned Books Week Coalition is ready to help you put it together — and promote it — with some last-minute ideas and resources!
Dear Banned Author
ALA’s Dear Banned Author letter-writing campaign encourages readers to reach out to banned or challenged authors via letters, emails, and tweets. The program aims to raise awareness of books that are threatened with censorship and ignite discussions about the essential access to a variety of library materials. Authors have also shared fan letters as support when there’s a public challenge to their books.
It’s easy to host a Dear Banned Author programs. Printable postcards and author mailing addresses can be found on the Dear Banned Author webpage. Set up a table in your library or classroom or put them on the checkout corner, and encourage your visitors to participate!
You can also participate online or invite your patrons to do so while they’re in your library, school, or store. Eligible tweets to or about banned and challenged authors with the hashtag #DearBannedAuthor will be entered into a drawing to win Banned Books Week materials. Learn more here, and read the Official Rules before entering.
Stand for the Banned Virtual Read-Out
The annual Stand for the Banned Read-out invites readers to film themselves reading banned books or talking about censorship. Videos are highlighted on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel. Set up a space in your library, school, or store where your patrons can participate in the read-out. Get more details here.
Banned Books Trivia Night
Trivia nights, also called pub quizzes, quiz nights, or bar trivia, are a great low-cost way to engage your community for Banned Books Week and beyond! The Banned Books Week Coalition assembled a program kit that provides a basic outline and tips for hosting your own trivia night, along with templates for promotional and support materials and questions you can use during your event. Find out more here.
Displays
Start the conversation about Banned Books Week by making a display in your library, classroom, or store! Here are just a few ideas:
Wrap a selection of banned and challenged titles with caution tape.
Cover banned or challenged books in brown paper, and write only the reason why the book was challenged—not the title or creator—across the front. Imagine the surprise when the book labeled “Political Viewpoint, Racism, and Violence” turns out to be all-
ages favorite Bone by Jeff Smith!
Put banned books and plays behind bars! Use a pet crate or fencing to “lock up” challenged material.
Hang banned books from a mobile, just out of reach of your audience.
Decorate a bulletin board or build a backdrop where patrons and customers can take selfies or “mugshots” of themselves reading banned books.
Design a bulletin board to look like a page from a comic book. In each panel, feature a challenged or banned book or play with a caption about the material. The more ridiculous the claim, the better!
You can find even more programming ideas in the Celebrate Banned Books Week Handbookhere and on our resources page here. The Banned Books Week Coalition offers several promotional downloads here. Digital posters and more are available on the ALA Store. OIF’s Free Downloads webpage offers social media shareables, coloring sheets, activities, and videos.
If you host a Banned Books Week event, be sure to register it online at bannedbooksweek.org/events/ — it will be included on our free Banned Books Week event calendar for the world to find!
Books and plays are challenged for any number of reasons. Let’s take a look at ten of those reasons and the books on ALA’s Top Ten Challenged Books list for 2017 and previous years that were attacked for these reasons…
LGBTQ Content
In 2017, several books were challenged because of LGBTQ content. Drama, a bestselling young adult graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier was challenged for the inclusion of LGBTQ characters. Alex Gino’s award-winning middle grades book George and Jazz Jenning’s autobiographical picture book I Am Jazz were both attacked because of their transgender main characters. And Tango Makes Three, a children’s picture book based on the real-life story of two male penguins that raise a chick together, was challenged for featuring a same-sex relationship.
The following books have also been challenged or banned for being sexually explicit:
This One Summer
Drama
Two Boys Kissing
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Habibi by Craig Thompson
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Profanity
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give were among the titles attacked for profanity in 2017.
In previous years, the books challenged for profanity include:
This One Summer
Make Something Up: Stories You Can’t Unread by Chuck Palahniuk
Racism
Racism is among the various reasons that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been challenged. The all-ages comic series Bone by Jeff Smith, a hero’s journey that centers on a trio of three Shmoo-like creatures, their human companions, a giant red dragon, and sundry fantasy characters, has also been challenged for racism.
Violence is a popular reason for challenging books. In 2017, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and To Kill a Mockingbird for challenged for violence.
Other titles attacked for violence:
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
The Bluest Eye
Bone
Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Hunger Gamestrilogy by Suzanne Collins
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Religious Viewpoint
Religious viewpoint has been used to attack everything from The Holy Bible to I Am Jazz.
Other books challenged for religious viewpoint:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan
And Tango Makes Three
Fifty Shades of Grey
The Hunger Games
Bless Me Ultima
The Kite Runner
Beloved
Sex Education
Sex education is a touchy subject for many. Many schools regulate materials used for sex education, which means would-be censors might use that designation to try to restrict access to books that teach kids about their bodies. In 2017, Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth’s award-winning Sex Is a Funny Word was challenged for the very thing that it is intended to do: educate young readers about sex and gender. I Am Jazz has previously been attacked as being a sex education book in an attempt to limit access to it.
Other books attacked for educational content about sex and gender:
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy by Dori Hillestad Butler
It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families by Robie Harris
Suicide
In 2017, a popular Netflix series triggered attacks on Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why, a bestselling young adult book that explores teen suicide. The book was banned in multiple school districts around the country. The Perks of Being A Wallflower has also been challenged for the content related to suicide.
Drug and Alcohol Use
Another reason that The Hate U Give was attacked in 2017 was the depiction of drug use.
The depiction of drug and alcohol use was also cited in challenges to the following books:
This One Summer
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
A Stolen Life
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl
Looking for Alaska
Thirteen Reasons Why
Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Internet Girls series by Lauren Myracle
Nudity
Unfortunately, some people equate nudity in books with obscenity, leading to challenges to the material. Comics and illustrated books are especially vulnerable to these challenges because they contain static images. Books that have been challenged for nudity include:
Habibi
It’s Perfectly Normal
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Fifty Shades of Grey
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl
The Color of Earth trilogy by Kim Dong Hwa
My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy
Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Brave New World
What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Internet Girls
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Art courtesy of the American Library Association. View ALA’s top ten challenged books lists here.
Banned Books Week kicks off on Sunday, and the Banned Books Week Coalition is celebrating with the CELEBRATE BANNED BOOKS WEEK HANDBOOK, a new publication! Visit https://bannedbooksweek.org/resources/handbook/ to view the handbook or read it below, and find a Banned Books Week event near you at https://bannedbooksweek.org/events/
CELEBRATE BANNED BOOKS WEEK HANDBOOK is a free publication that can be used to guide your celebration of the right to read during Banned Books Week or any time of year! It includes programming ideas, best practices for events, resources, and tips for handling censorship. This invaluable handbook will continue in coming years with annual updates.
The 2018 theme, “Banning Books Silences Stories,” is a reminder that everyone needs to speak out against the tide of censorship. Please join us during Banned Books Week, September 23 – 29, 2018! Tell us about your display or event by completing the form at https://bannedbooksweek.org/events/community/add/, and we’ll include it on our events calendar!
ABOUT THE BANNED BOOKS WEEK COALITION The Banned Books Week Coalition is an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship.
The Banned Books Week Coalition includes American Booksellers Association; American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of University Presses; Authors Guild; Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; Dramatists Legal Defense Fund; Freedom to Read Foundation; Index on Censorship; National Coalition Against Censorship; National Council of Teachers of English; PEN America; People for the American Way; and Project Censored. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Banned Books Week also receives generous support from DKT Liberty Project and Penguin Random House.
