Celebrate Banned Books Week

This week is not only the start of your fall term - It's also Banned Books Week from September 30 - October 6. People around the country are recognizing literary classics and personal favorites which have banned from communities and schools for various reasons. An interactive way to find what, where, and why books came under fire can be done using this Mapping Censorship tool. There are a few places in Florida.

Some classic literature includes The Catcher in the Rye, Beloved, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Where the Wild Things Are, and To Kill a Mockingbird. New ones that you may have read the past few years are Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (which was banned in a Tampa school), the Harry Potter series, and The Hunger Games.

Events:

In Tampa, you can stop by Cafe Hey on Friday, October 5 and attend their Banned Books Open Mic starting at 7pm. If you'd like to read a banned book, email inkwoodbooks@gmail.com and ask to add your name to the line-up.

If you're a student in or near Fort Myers, check out the banned books display at the Northwest Regional Library. There's also a display at the North Port Library for students in Port Charlotte.

Can't make it to any of these events? Head over to some Virtual Read-Out Videos from this year and look for a few celebrities reading.