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Utica College to Host Banned Book Read-In

Annual Event Celebrates Intellectual Freedom, Challenges Censorship

Written By Keith Henry

Contact - cleogrande@utica.edu

Utica, NY (09/29/2009) - Utica College will host its annual Banned Books Read-In on Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ellen Knower Clarke Lounge in the Strebel Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. 

The Read-In is part of Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the importance of the First Amendment and the necessity for free and unfettered access to information while raising awareness of the insidious practice of censorship. 

Kim Landon, associate professor of journalism and event coordinator, has been amazed over the years by the repeated attempts by some to ban books and she sees the need for diligence about censorship. “We have held the Banned Book Read-in for more than 15 years. I start to think that by now everyone must know about this issue, but already this year I am finding students astonished to learn that someone, somewhere has challenged their favorite books,” she said. 
    
She recently spoke with one of her students who was surprised at the attempt to ban Huck Finn, a seemingly innocuous children’s book. “I had a conversation with a student just yesterday who asked me "What's wrong with Huckleberry Finn?" It gave me a chance to have a conversation with him about language and perception and the politics of intellectual freedom in this country today. That's why we do the Read-in, for moments like that.”
   
For more information about the Banned Books Read-in, contact Landon at (315) 792-3093 or email her at klandon@utica.edu. For information on Banned Books Week visit http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm.


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Banned Books Week site