Banned Books Week (10/1-10/7) is an annual national celebration of our freedom to read.
Join us on Saturday, October 7 from 5-8 pm for our 2nd annual Banned Books Social at Booksweet (1729 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor)!
This event is an “open house” style with programs for all ages. Come for some of our offerings or all. We can’t wait to see you there, readers. Your Eventbrite RSVP is so helpful to our planning.
Activities include:
- 5 pm: Join us for a storytime with Aya Khalil, author of the 2023 picture book, The Great Banned Books Bake Sale, based on her real-life experiences having her 2020 picture book The Arabic Quilt banned in U.S. public schools and libraries.
- 6 pm: A presentation on how educators and their supporters can shift the public narrative to keep challenged books in schools, from Cathy Fleischer of Everyday Advocacy
- 7 pm: A vital workshop by our friends at Red, Wine, & Blue: How to Speak Up and Speak Out at School Board Meetings, Library Board Meetings, and Beyond
- 5-8 pm: Write your representatives, urging them to protect student’s freedom to read in U.S. public schools and libraries through our Right to Read Act letter writing station.
- 5-8 pm: Explore banned books past and present through an easy, fun card game we invented called “The Censor”
Other good-to-know stuff:
- 10% of the profits from Booksweet’s Banned Book Club reading list are donated to Pen America in support of their ongoing research to document the rapid rise in U.S. book bans, their legal actions, and their incredible advocacy.
- 10% of the profits from Booksweet’s limited edition, locally designed and locally screen printed “I Love Banned Books” t-shirts are donated to Pen America.
- 50% of the profits from Booksweet’s “I Love Banned Books” stickers are donated to Pen America.
We’ll make a big annual donation to Pen America at the end of our Banned Books social, bringing together all the funds raised through our Banned Book Club efforts throughout the year. The Banned Books Social is our chance to finish strong with our community of readers and make the donation as big as possible. You can purchase all of the books, t-shirts, and stickers on our website or from our front-room display. The t-shirts are limited edition, available only while supplies last.
Learn more about why we care about book bans so much in this article by Rylee Barnsdale for Concentrate Media.