MUW, MSMS, and Friendly City Books will host 4 events during Banned Books Week, September 22-27th, to bring awareness to censorship attempts in the US and stimulate dialogue around this year’s theme: “Freed Between the Lines.”
On Monday, September 23rd at 4:00 pm in MUW Fant Library’s Tiered Classroom, we invite you to hear Dr. Shannon Oltmann’s invited talk, “Fanning the flames: Why book bans are on the rise and what we can do about it.” Dr. Oltmann, author and professor at University of Kentucky, will explore why book bans and censorship are happening more frequently and discuss what can be done to stand up against book bans. The talk will also be live-streamed and recorded.
On Tuesday, September 24th at 5:00 p.m., starting at the entrance of MUW’s campus, we will host a walkthrough featuring frequently and popular banned book titles and data about book banning in the U.S. The walkthrough will end at the W Galleries in Summer Hall for the opening reception of the Banned Books juried art exhibition. The reception will run from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m., and refreshments will be provided. The exhibition will feature works that deal with particular banned books, or engage with themes that often result in censorship. The exhibition will run from September 23 – October 25, 2024
On Wednesday, September 25th from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm at Friendly City Books in Downtown Columbus, join us for a read-aloud of Jeanette Walls’ The Glass Castle, the 17th most banned book in the 2010s, written by this year’s Welty Gala speaker. The first 25 people who register to participate will receive a FREE copy of the book, courtesy of The Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE foundation.
All event details – including links – are available at libguides.muw.edu/bannedbooks. We hope you can celebrate with us! Any questions can be directed to Hillary Richardson (hhrichardson@muw.edu).
