In just the past few weeks, multiple kidlit authors have seen their author visits canceled.
Talk on the True Story of the First Woman to Bike Around the World: CANCELED
According to author Mary Boone’s piece in The Seattle Times, she was scheduled to talk about her book Pedal Pusher: How One Woman’s Bicycle Adventure Helped Change the World at the Tacoma Children’s Museum site on the U.S. Army base Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The book tells the true story of Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, the first woman to bike around the world.
However, a few days before the event, Boone was told the planned talk was off because it “violated the administration’s executive order restricting so-called “radical” Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs across federal institutions.”
Book Talk Celebrating Freedom to Read: CANCELED
According to BookRiot, Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard showed up at the Country Club Elementary School in San Ramon, California to talk about the current landscape of book bans and their book The Day The Books Disappeared, a picture book that celebrates the freedom to read. Upon arrival, the authors were told by the school’s principal they could not talk about book bans, nor could they mention “queer-centered stories at all.”
Ho and Kusin Pritchard said they didn’t plan on changing their talk, so they were sent home, and the students who’d been waiting for the talk to start were sent back into their classrooms.
What Can You Do?
- Sign up for Authors Against Book Bans to be notified about actions you can take against book bans in your state.
- Join PEN America protect the freedom to read. They offer actions you can take to lend a hand.
- Learn more about banned books from the American Library Association.
- According to Unite Against Book Bans, attending your local library board, school board, and city council meetings is “one of the most critical actions you can take to fend off book bans.” Attending these events in support of the freedom to read is a powerful statement.
- MUF contributor Patricia Bailey has other suggestions, too. Remember, most people do not want book bans, research shows. Don’t lose hope!
Students will gather twice a year at the University of San Francisco campus, and otherwise will work remotely. The program is for any and all kidlit authors, whether you write fiction or nonfiction, graphic novels, poetry, and starting with picture book all the way through YA. Every six months 20 more students will join the program.
