Queens, Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries To Mark Banned Books Week September 22 to 28 with Talks, Exhibitions and More

National “Freedom to Read” Day of Action to Fight Back Against Book Bans on October 19

New York City’s three public library systems will mark Banned Books Week September 22 to 28 with a series of programs, talks and exhibitions amid a dramatic nationwide increase in censorship. In 2023, the American Library Association (ALA) reported the highest number of challenged book titles ever documented, a number that increased by 92% from 2022.

In addition to their Banned Book Week programming, the city’s three public libraries in partnership with ALA, their Unite Against Book Bans campaign, and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, are organizing a first-of-its-kind national day of action to unite against book bans on Saturday, October 19. 

During this fall when people have a heightened awareness of the importance of civic engagement and the public policy issues facing our communities, the Freedom to Read Day of Action will include events and rallies at libraries nationwide. The goal is to elevate the voices of readers who believe that the freedom to access books and information from diverse viewpoints is an essential American value which must be protected at a time of rising book bans. 

Brooklyn, Queens and The New York Public Library will each hold their own day of action at their major locations. The day will also include a #FreedomToRead social media campaign. More details about the events will be shared in the coming weeks.  

Queens Public Library

QPL will mark Banned Books Week with a Banned Books Library Card design contest. The Library is asking local artists and the general public, ages 13 and up, to submit original artwork that celebrates the freedom to read. The artwork may be inspired by books or authors who have been banned or challenged, or it may be inspired by people’s own interpretation of the freedom to read in Queens. The contest will run from September 23 through November 30, and the winning artwork will be featured on QPL’s Banned Books Special Edition Library Card, to be released in 2025. QPL will host a variety of workshops to help with developing an art piece to anyone interested in entering the contest. 

Multiple QPL locations will participate in a system-wide Banned Books Movie Festival. The movies, including “Fahrenheit 451,” “The Hunger Games,” and “Like Water For Chocolate,” are based on books that were censored in schools and libraries, curtailing the public’s right to read specific books. 

Several popular banned books will be available with no waits on Overdrive through October 31. Titles include: “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “Our Skin” by Megan Madison, “The Undefeated” by Kwame Anderson, “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson and “Sold” by Patricia McCormick. 

The Friends of Ridgewood Library will celebrate the Freedom to Read with a Banned Books giveaway (while supplies last) for all ages at Ridgewood Library (20-12 Madison Street) on Thursday, September 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, September 28, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Titles include: “Strange the Dreamer” by Laini Taylor, “Planting Stories: Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré” by Anika Aldamuy Denise, and “Dreamers” by Yuyi Morales.

On Wednesday, September 25, from 6 to 7 p.m., QPL will host a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Miller whose latest novel, “Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books,” is a laugh-out-loud satire that takes on some of the most controversial issues of our day. Comedian and television writer Tim Barnes, whose credits include the Comedy Central animated web series “Maurice on Mars,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” and the NPR quiz show “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!,” will lead the conversation. The public can watch it on the QPL’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

The public visiting QPL branches during Banned Books Week will also be able to immediately spot banned or challenged books thanks to a unique “Dare to Read This!” bookmark that will stand out from the shelves to highlight their location. 

The New York Public Library (The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island)

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is launching the second year of its Teen Banned Book Club to coincide with National Banned Books Week. All four titles selected for this year’s Banned Book Club are graphic novels, reflecting the bans and challenges often faced by graphic novelists and artists creating work for teens.

The first title in the book club is the award-winning Flamer by Mike Curato, which highlights the importance of self-acceptance and community support, especially for LGBTQ+ teens. Flamer is available for download today, via nypl.org/bannedbookclub to anyone with a NYPL library card. Thanks to a partnership with Macmillan, NYPL will offer unlimited digital access to Flamer, which means no wait times for cardholders, available through November 30, 2024. 

Other book club offerings include:

• Free book giveaways of Flamer at all NYPL branches, in limited quantities on a first come, first serve basis, in all NYPL branches starting this week. 
• NYPL’s Teen Ambassadors will host a virtual event with Flamer’s author Mike Curato on Thursday, November 21, at 3 PM ET. The event is free for all. 
• Book discussion guides for Flamer, which libraries, readers and book clubs nationwide are encouraged to download at nypl.org/bannedbookclub.

The other three titles, which will be available on a rolling basis throughout the year, are: Run by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell and L. Fury; Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann; and The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. In a first-of-its-kind partnership, NYPL is working with publishers and distributors to offer a special purchase option on any of the four titles so that libraries across the country can expand access to the books.

In addition to the Teen Banned Book Club, NYPL will launch an all-new Freedom to Read National Teen Art Contest, which will accept drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, comic art, and digital art on the topics of reading, libraries, and intellectual freedom. Submissions will open on Monday, September 23, 2024, and close on Friday, December 6, 2024. Winning entries will be published in a special edition of NYPL’s Teen Voices Magazine, and the grand-prize winner will be exhibited at The New York Public Library.

On September 16, NYPL launched a new online exhibition, Banned: Censorship and the Freedom to Read, which shines a spotlight on 70+ items selected from the more than 48 million in our research collections to examine the history of censorship and its interactions with literature and film, sexual and reproductive freedom, white supremacy, war, colonialism, and protest. In support of this permanent online resource, NYPL’s Center for Educators & Schools has published an all-new curriculum, aimed at grades 6–12 humanities educators, offering them the case studies and resources they need to introduce this vital subject to their students.

Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn Public Library will host a series of talks, screenings and readings throughout the week with special series on September 26 about the challenges of censorship. Events start at 6 p.m. except where noted.

• From math books to picture books, some of the reasons for banning might surprise you. Teens can test their knowledge at the Banned Books Quiz Off. Windsor Terrace Library, 160 E. 5th Street at 4 p.m.
• Bring a frequently banned book or borrow one from the Library at the Quiet Reading Party and read quietly for one hour, followed by an hour of community and discussion about literature. Bushwick Library, 340 Bushwick Avenue. With Quietreading.org
• In partnership with Books Are Magic and the American Booksellers Association, BPL will host A Conversation About Fighting Books Bans and support banned authors in New York City. Featuring bestselling authors Maura Johnson, Eliot Schrefer, and Frederick Joseph with award-winning writer and illustrator Niña Mata and Philomena Polefrone, ABA’s Advocacy Associate Manager and point person for American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE).  Brooklyn Heights Library. 286 West Cadman Plaza.
• Publishers, activists, librarians and booksellers will consider Why Books Still Matter in a panel discussion featuring legendary editor and publisher Karl Weber; Chris Finan, author of “From the Palmer Raids to the PATRIOT Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America” and former executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship; Betsy Burton, co-founder of the King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City; and Nick Higgins, 2023 Librarian of the Year and founder of Brooklyn Public Library’s viral Books Unbanned initiative. 6 p.m. Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza.
• Join BPL for a screening of the documentary short “ABCs of Book Banning” (2023). An Oscar and Academy Award nominee, the half-hour film explores the impact of Florida’s book bans on kids through a series of one-on-one interviews. After the screening, teen leaders will host a post-film discussion on books, reading, and censorship. All ages are welcome, especially adults interested in the fight against book bans. Hear directly from teens and young adults in your community about their perspective. Check the calendar for additional screening times across the borough. Marcy Library, 617 DeKalb Avenue.

Throughout the week, learn more about Books Unbanned, BPL’s viral initiative to provide young people across the country access to books and listen to Borrowed and Banned BPL’s Peabody-nominated podcast about censorship.

About Queens Public Library

Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country.  An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a tech lab in the nation’s largest public housing complex, five teen centers. It also has two bookmobiles and two book bicycles.

About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.

About The New York Public Library

For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.