Banned Books Readout
Date, Location
Banned Books Week Celebration
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees your right to decide for yourself what you read, listen to, or view. Banned Books Week, observed since 1982, reminds Americans not to take this precious right for granted. Celebrate your intellectual freedom with the American Civil Liberties Union and Kalamazoo Public Library! Local literary celebrities will read from frequently challenged books.
Program
Welcome
Ann Rohrbaugh, Director, Kalamazoo Public Library
Introduction
Garrett Brookmyer, President, ACLU-SW MI
Readings
Eric Pott, ACLU-SW MI, Moderator
Selections from five of last year’s most frequently challenged books.
Alice the Brave, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Read by Lorraine Caron, WMUK
My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult
Read by Lori Moore and Richard Piet, WKZO
The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
Read by Bill Appel, WMU School of Music, Professor Emeritus
Crank, Ellen Hopkins
Read by Glynis Fenn, Actor/Director
Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan
Read by Kevin King, KPL Patron Services/IT
Discussion/Q&A
Ashlyn Kuersten, PhD,
WMU Political Science, Assoc. Professor
“If they can tell you what to read, they can tell you what to think.” ~ Freedom to Read Foundation
Download the poster PDF