Banned Books Week
Handbook Online
September 25 - October 2,
2010
Event Ideas for Booksellers
Looking for some event
ideas for Banned Books Week?
Stage
a Banned Books Reading in Your Store! Choose titles from
ABFFE's Banned and
Challenged Books List, and recruit local celebrities to read, or
solicit volunteers. Hold readings in a store window or in a
special "Banned Book Reading Corner." You can also organize a
"Banned Books Marathon." Check out what bookstores, librarians,
universities, and civil liberties organizations have done in the past!
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ATM-ART, a Dutch/Danish/Chinese art team brought Banned Books Week to Europe in 2010. The team created a Banned Books Week sculpture made out of banned or challenged books. The Danish Royal Library displayed the sculpture from September 25 to October 16. The Library also put banned books on display inside. The group plans to erect a similar sculpture in Amsterdam.
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Book People's
Banned Books Week
featured a week of fun
events, including two Read-A-Thons, in which famous local
writers, elected officials, and nonprofit notables read excerpts
from books banned or challenged in the state of Texas during the
previous year.
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Kansas State University
hosted a Read-A-Thon for Banned Books Week
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In 2007, San Jose State University hosted a program during which students debated the pros and cons of book censorship. SJSU students also publicly performed Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem "Howl."
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In 2009, Duke theater studies Lecturing Fellow Jay O'Berski teamed up with the Durham County Library to dramatize scenes from frequently challenged books.
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St. Ambrose University Library held an Edible Book contest and played Banned Books Week Bingo for 2009's celebration.
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Tacoma, Washington-based King's Books celebrated Banned Books Week 2005 with a panel discussion, a film night, and storytime. The store even collaborated with a local letterpress printer to create a unique Banned Books Week matchbook-style book. This year, the store has already begun meetings of the Banned Books Club.
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Take further action:
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Exhibit
Reading Your Rights |
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Contact your local
ACLU
affiliate and organize a joint event.
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Coordinate larger events with fellow booksellers, book lovers, teachers, or your local library.
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Host screenings of topical films like Damned in the USA and Jailed for Their Words.
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Invite authors for signings and Q&A sessions. Explore some of the decades most frequently challenged books for authors whose work might be relevant.
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Reach out to youth in your community by organizing discussion groups and other events during which young people recount their experiences with book challenges and censorship. Consider holding a Banned Books Week essay or art contest. Use ABFFE's Freadom merchandise, ALA promotional materials, or banned books themselves as prizes.
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Write a Banned Books Week-themed op-ed for your local newspaper or celebrate the freedom to blog!
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