Banned Books Week Read-In – October 5

We are kicking off Banned Books Week with a Read-In on Sunday, October 5 from Noon-3pm. We’ve teamed up with Libro.fm and Silent Book Club in protest of censorship. Join us as we read and take action to fight book bans!

It is a Packers bye week so we can relax and read banned books. Bring your favorite banned book, buy one or download the free audiobook to read. We’ll have 30 minute silent reading sessions starting at noon, 1pm and 2pm. Then we can chat about banned books, and create some art that expresses the importance of the freedom to read that we can display in the store. I’ll have some coloring sheets in case you don’t feel creative.

Talking points  

• What Is Censorship? (National Coalition Against Censorship) 
• Unite Against Book Bans: Talking Points and FAQ (Unite Against Book Bans) 
• Empowered by Reading: The Benefits of Giving Youth Access to a Wide Variety of Reading Materials (Unite Against Book Bans) 
• Defend LGBTQ Stories (National Coalition Against Censorship) 

How to fight book bans 

• School Boards Matter: A Guide to Effectively Advocating at the School Board Level (Human Rights Campaign)
• Book Resumes (Unite Against Book Bans) 
• Book Resumes (Penguin Random House) 
• The ABA Right to Read Handbook: Fighting Book Bans and Why It Matters (American Booksellers Association) 
• Form: Report censorship (American Library Association)
• Form: Report censorship (National Coalition Against Censorship)  
• Know Your Rights: Protesters’ Rights (ACLU) 

For young readers 

• Stand Up/Speak Up: A Guide for Youth Activists (ACLU of Tennessee) 
• Be Heard: Protecting Your Protest Rights (National Coalition Against Censorship, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Kai Texel) 
• Kids’ Right to Read: Action Toolkit (National Coalition Against Censorship) 
• 4th Graders Challenge Book Bans and Scholastic (D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice)  
• Let’s Talk: Leader Moderation Guide (FIRE) 

Learn more about censorship 

• Literary Activism: News you can use plus tips and tools for the fight against censorship and other bookish activism (Book Riot) 
• Talking Book Bans with Leah Johnson and Kelly Jensen (Libro.fm) 
• An Interview With Amanda Jones, Author of That Librarian (Libro.fm) 
• Books about censorship (Libro.fm) 
• Censorship by the Numbers (American Library Association) 
• Youth Censorship Database (National Coalition Against Censorship)