Banned Books Week 2002 Kicks Off September 21

This week, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), the American Library Association, and the Association of American Publishers announced that they are finalizing plans for Banned Books Week 2002. The celebration, scheduled for September 21 through September 28, is the only national event to highlight the importance of free expression.

Organizers note that this year’s celebration should be especially relevant, as concern has mounted over the potential dangers to First Amendment rights in the wake of the government’s fight against terrorism.

Banned Books Week Adult Poster, one of the posters included in the Banned Books Week kit.

As it did last year, ABFFE will support Banned Books Week by distributing a promotional kit free to all members of ABA. This year’s slogan for the event is "Let Freedom Read: Read a Banned Book" and is displayed on posters that feature adult, young adult, and children’s books that have been challenged. The Banned Books Week promotional kits have become a key component to creative in-store Banned Books Week displays nationwide.

Additionally, this year’s kit will include a list of the books that have been challenged over the past year and a copy of ABFFE’s "Burning Books" poster. However, the resource manual that is normally part of the kit is being omitted this year, though the 2001 manual can be ordered separately.

The participation of independent booksellers is crucial to the success of the event, stressed Chris Finan, president of ABFFE. "We hope everyone will order his or her free Banned Books Week kit," he told BTW. "It can be ordered in one of two ways. You can order it through the ABFFE store; or a bookseller can wait until we send the promotional brochure, which will be mailed the first week of July." ABFFE plans to start shipping kits in early August.

To order a kit now, got to the ABFFE Web site, www.abffe.com [1], and click on "ABFFE Store." Use the "Banned Books Week" link in the store to review this year’s kit.