A University of Illinois System-hosted symposium in August will feature speakers and panel discussions on topics including book banning, censorship, and the importance of reading to foster public dialogue, inclusion and engaged citizenship.
Taking place Aug. 20-21 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, “Free People Read Freely: Literacy, Inclusion, and Democracy” will open with a keynote conversation moderated by Urbana poet laureate and UIUC faculty member Ruby Mendenhall. Keynote participants are:
- Clint Smith, New York Times best-selling author and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; and
- George M. Johnson, whose memoir about growing up black and queer has been widely banned.
The second day of the symposium will open with a keynote address by writer, activist and professor Tony Diaz. Diaz led the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle banned books back into Arizona in defiance of the state’s ban of Mexican American studies at that time.
View the full schedule and register for the free symposium at carli.illinois.edu/Free-People-Read-Freely.
A celebration of scholarship and the role of education in our democracy, the symposium is an initiative of two U of I System units: the University of Illinois Press and the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois, also known as CARLI.
"Creating opportunities for robust discussions, the exchange of ideas and the exploration of contemporary issues is part of the work and mandate of higher education institutions. This symposium is an example of this commitment," said Nick Jones, U of I System executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs.
“We are very excited about the ways this symposium will foreground the importance of books and reading to ensure healthy and diverse communities,” University of Illinois Press Director Laurie Matheson said. “Free reading actively supports cultural inclusion and expression while countering repressive practices that seek to erase difference and curtail the creation, consumption and dissemination of responsible scholarship.”
The event also will feature Education Justice Project alumni sharing their views about reading freely.
CARLI Director Anne Craig added, “Everyone has a stake in the free exchange of ideas, and we hope this symposium can draw attendees from across the central Illinois region, both academic and community. The important role of public, school and academic libraries in facilitating free access to information is essential to supporting full participation in our democracy.”
