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The Central Libraries > Donnell Library Center > Events
FREE SPEECH ZONE: AUTHORS READ FROM BANNED BOOKS
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More Information In conjunction with Free Speech Zone, a multi-media art installation by Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese being exhibited throughout the month of September in the display windows of Donnell Library Center, Donnell Media Center is presenting an evening of selections from challenged books written for children and teens, read by their authors. On Thursday, September 29th, award-winning writers of works for children and young adults will read from their own banned and challenged books to sound the alarm about a recent surge in attacks on books in schools and public libraries. The program’s participants are prominent authors whose books have helped millions of children and adolescents understand the world around them. Nevertheless, these books are routinely taken out of libraries and erased from reading lists. Judy Blume’s novels are frequently attacked for being “immoral,” “profane,” and “offensive.” Sexual content and language have prompted challenges to Robert Lipsyte’s coming-of-age novel One Fat Summer, Walter Dean Myers’ Fallen Angels and Monster and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Alice series. Gay subject matter has made Deborah Hautzig’s Hey, Dollface unpalatable to some parents’ groups. The mention of evolution has put Peter Sís’ book about Charles Darwin, The Tree of Life, on the list of controversial books together with Rita Williams-Garcia’s novels, whose realistic portrayal of young African Americans brings up subjects like rape and abortion. The media artists who created the Free Speech Zone installation will briefly introduce the program. Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese have been collaborating for over 20 years on videos, interactive installations, limited edition multiples and artists books. Their work dissects media through the manipulation of images and audio from print, television, the Internet and radio. They are the recipients of numerous awards, including support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, Art Matters, Inc., the Puffin Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Judy Blume is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. She is the author of over twenty books for readers of all ages , many of which are among the most frequently challenged books for young adults on charges of being “immoral,” “profane,” and “offensive.” Deborah Hautzig is the author of dozens of children's books, including nine Little Witch books and Hey, Dollface, which has been consistently challenged because of its gay subject matter. Robert Lipsyte was honored by the American Library Association with the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2001. His coming-of-age novel One Fat Summer has been challenged on the basis of “sexual content.” Walter Dean Myers was the first award winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult Literature and has written many outstanding works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry for young people. His books Fallen Angels and Monster have been challenged on the basis of "vulgar language, sexual explicitness, or violent imagery that is gratuitously employed." Phyllis Reynolds Naylor received the Newbery Medal in 1992. Her award-winning Alice series has been challenged because it explores relationships with parents, death and sexuality. Peter Sís was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2003. His books for children include The Tree of Life, a detailed look at the life of Charles Darwin. Rita Williams-Garcia is the author of five distinguished novels for young adults that break new ground in their realistic portrayal of young African Americans growing up. Her characters experience genital mutilation, rape, abortion, but also cultural pride, love and self-acceptance. This program, organized by the National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN American Center, and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, and presented by Marie Nesthus of Donnell Media Center, will be held in recognition of Banned Books Week (September 26-30), the nation’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. It has been funded in part by The New York State Council on the Arts . This program is free and open to the public. (Seating is limited.) |
