Banned Book Week Updates and Other News
We have three updates for you this week.
September 22-28 is Banned Books week and Let Utah Read is co-sponsoring two events. See below and our Events Page for more information
T-shirts are now available!
HB29 “Sensitive Materials” Law Update
Banned Book Week Events
Panel Discussion: Who Decides What You Can Read? Writers & Librarians Have Their Say (With Special Guest, Author, Rex Ogle)
Date/Time: Monday, Sept 23, 6-7:30
Location: Davis County Library, Syracuse Branch
Description/RSVP: See full description here.
Banned Books BINGO at Under the Umbrella Bookstore
Date/Time: Tuesday, Sept 24, 6-8 pm
Location: Under the Umbrella Bookstore 511 W 200 SLC.
Description: See full description here
Click for Banned Book Week Event Info
T-Shirts Now Available
The Let Utah Read team tabled at the SLC Farmer’s Market this summer and many people asked about making donations and whether we had t-shirts available. In response we’ve partnered with Bonfire to sell a variety of Let Utah Read T-shirts. As a Let Utah Read supporter, you get a 10% discount on shirts using code FREEDOMTOREAD at checkout!
If you want to donate to Let Utah Read, you can do so at checkout when ordering a t-shirt, or you can donate directly from this page or from the new donate button on our website. All donations are tax deductible and will be used to help Utahns become more aware of censorship issues, and to build support for libraries and for the freedom to read in Utah.
Sensitive Materials Law Update
You may have seen the news last month that 13 books have been banned statewide in Utah as a result of the new “Sensitive Materials” law (HB29) that the legislature passed and the Governor signed into law last year. The law has made Utah the ONLY state in the union that has “no read” list of books banned statewide.
Let Utah Read partner PEN America put together this excellent article that explains the impact of HB29: The State of Book Bans: Utah’s ‘No-Read List’
You may also have seen that across the country, from Llano Texas to Nassau County Florida, legal action is returning books to the shelves. Will we see similar legal action against our book banning law in Utah? Stay tuned…
What Can You Do To Help?
If you want to take action this week to help stop book banning in America, please send an email to your legislator (or call them up and ask to meet with them) and tell them to fix the law, require that all books be evaluated “as a whole”, and restore local control to school boards.
And remember, the simplest thing you can do to help is to share this link to sign up for email updates and alerts from Let Utah Read with your friends, neighbors, and family members who care about the freedom to read.
Thank you all for your support!
-Your Team at Let Utah Read