Shelved Voices: How Book Censorship & Bans Impact Everyone, Everywhere
Join us on Sunday, September 22, 2024, as the Aspen Institute Arts Program in partnership with Kwame Alexander, W. Kamau Bell and the DC Public Library and DC Public Library Foundation presents, “Shelved Voices: How Book Censorship & Bans Impact Everyone, Everywhere,” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Auditorium in Washington, D.C. This program kicks off Banned Books Week 2024 with three segments exploring the history of book banning, the current state of literary access in the US, and how we might catalyze inspiration for protecting and expanding access to the written word for all readers. Featuring conversations with policy experts, librarians, authors, students, and advocates on the frontlines, this program highlights what’s happening in regions where censorship is both prominent and subtle. In-person attendees will also have an opportunity to submit questions during both panel sessions.
This event is free, but registration is required for both in-person (limited space available) and livestream. Livestream details will be provided via email ahead of the event to registered attendees.
Be sure to visit the Library before the program for an opportunity to purchase a book for donation to a contested library from a pop-up store by People’s Book in Takoma Park, a local bookstore just outside Washington. People’s Book sales begin at 1:00 pm. Program begins promptly at 1:45 pm ET and concludes by 5:00 pm ET; see the agenda below for details.
About Banned Books Week:
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. The annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas.