New Release: Banned Books Week: Let Freedom Read
I’m excited to announce that I will be reading my poem, A Banned Book Speaks, on September 22, 2024, at 2:00 pm via Zoom. I’m honored to have my poem featured in the powerful anthology Banned Books Week: Let Freedom Read, published by Moonstone Press and edited by Larry Robin.
This collection comes at a critical time for readers and educators everywhere. As Deborah Coldwell-Stone, Director of the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, emphasizes:
“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and libraries and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”
My poem was inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s 1737 essay On Freedom of Speech and the Press from The Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin’s words, written nearly 300 years ago, still resonate in today’s struggles to protect the freedom to read. A Banned Book Speaks gives voice to those silenced by censorship and reflects on the timeless importance of intellectual freedom.
I’m incredibly proud to be part of this important work, available just in time for Banned Books Week. Let’s all stand together to support freedom of expression and the right to read.
