Banned Books Week Begins September 24

Banned Books Week will begin on Saturday, September 24, and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has made a variety of materials available online that booksellers can use as part of their celebrations. The ABFFE Banned Books Week Handbook includes lists of banned books and books about free expression; downloadable images and posters; display, event, and fundraising ideas; a list of websites offering Banned Book Week information; and a number of other valuable resources. The handbook is accessible through the ABFFE website, www.abffe.com.

In addition, as part of the weeklong event, ABFFE, with the National Coalition Against Censorship and PEN American Center, is sponsoring a Banned Books Week Program at the New York Public Library on Thursday, September 29, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. At the program, award-winning children's and young adult writers will read from banned and challenged books to sound the alarm about a recent surge in attacks on books in schools and public libraries, where librarians have had to fight to keep such titles as the Harry Potter series, The Color Purple, Native Son, and Heather Has Two Mommies on the shelves and available to young readers.

Authors Judy Blume, Walter Dean Myers, Robert Lipsyte, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Deborah Hautzig, and Peter Sis are scheduled to appear at the event, which will be held in the Donnell Library Center Auditorium. Artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese, who have mounted an art installation --"Free Speech Zone" -- at the Donnell Library, will also speak.

ABFFE is also inviting all booksellers to take advantage of a special 50 percent discount on membership if they join before the end of Banned Books Week. Member benefits include the ABFFE Update, a monthly e-mail newsletter, a FREADOM pin, the handbook Censorship and First Amendment Rights, and other free speech resources. A membership form is available on the ABFFE website.

For the Banned Books Week campaign, ABFFE is offering a discount on T-shirts, buttons, and stickers incorporating its popular FREADOM logo. The T-shirts are available in two new colors -- pink and green. Orders can be placed using a downloadable Banned Books Week order form or by calling ABFFE at (212) 587-4025.

Launched in 1982, Banned Books Week is sponsored by ABFFE, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Library of Congress' Center for the Book.