Freedom to Read Week (a.k.a. Banned Books Week) is now: October 5-11

Hello freedom to read advocates!

We just had our WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP Town Hall on Friday Oct 3. If you missed it (or want to re-live it) you can catch the recording here to get caught up on this program. 

Below we share seven links to help you celebrate the freedom to read during this Banned Books Week and beyond. Shout out to our friends at the American Library Association for this awesome “Censorship is so 1984” image.

1) EveryLibrary Live! Festival for Banned Books Week 2025 - Tune into one or more of these two dozen+ panel discussions with a who’s who of authors, illustrators, and publishers. (Lee moderates three of the panels!)

2) Read the just-released PEN America report (Tasslyn is one of the co-authors!): The Normalization of Book Banning, Banned in the USA, 2024-2025

3) Bring friends who also celebrate the freedom to read and attend a Banned Books week event near you! 

4) Our friends at the Eleanor Roosevelt Center are having their Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Books Awards on Oct 11, 2025 in Poughkeepsie, NY. If you’re able to attend, say ‘hi’ to Margaret Atwood.

5) Reported by the BBC: Afghanistan bans books by women authors from their universities

6) Check out this powerful free speech quote by Salman Rushdie in the Washington Post:

“It’s no trick to defend speech by people either with whom you agree or to whom you’re indifferent. The defense of free speech begins when people say things you don’t like. That’s when you discover if you believe in free speech or not.”

7) Cheers to the launch of Publishing Professionals Against Book Bans - read about it in Publishers Weekly here, and we hope to see you at their town hall on Oct 28.

Remember that together, WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP!

Stay safe and strong,

Lee and Tasslyn