An Evening Without: Giving Voice to the Silenced

September 30, 2010 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Centre Congregational Church
193 Main Street  Brattleboro, VT

In celebration of the First Amendment during Banned Books Week, the Vermont Civil Liberties Union and the Vermont Library Association present “An Evening Without…Giving Voice to the Silenced” featuring Vermont authors and speakers reading from books that have been banned or challenged.

The featured readers below will read from the works of authors such as Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison.
Jerry Carbone is the Director of Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro.
Jon Clinch is the author of two acclaimed novels, Finn and The Kings of the Earth.
Joni B. Cole is the writer of several non-fiction books and co-founder of the Writer’s Center in White River Junction.
Castle Freeman is a writer who has published four acclaimed novels, a book of  short stories, and a collection of essays.
Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina is the author of seven books, including her latest, Mr. and Mrs. Prince and hosts The Book Show, a nationally syndicated weekly radio program.
Karen Hesse is the Newbery Award-winning author of 22 books for young readers.
Suzanne Kingsbury is the author of three novels, two of which have been optioned for film

The program is affiliated with the Brattleboro Literary Festival that will continue September 30-October 1.

VLA and ACLU to Hold Banned Books Week Read-out – Spread the Word

Dear friends,

In celebration of the First Amendment during Banned Books Week, the VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee and the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont will present “An Evening Without. . .Giving Voice to the Silenced,” Thursday, Sept. 30.

The free event will feature writers from around Vermont as they read from works by those whose writing has been challenged, censored, or banned.

Featured readers are Jerry Carbone (director of the Brooks Memorial Library), Jon Clinch, Joni Cole, Castle Freeman, Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, Karen Hesse, and Suzanne Kingsbury, reading from works by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, George Orwell, Katherine Paterson, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, and Kurt Vonnegut.

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Banned Book Week Poster

Each year ALA sponsors Banned Books Week to highlight our 1st Amendment right to read.

In the past two years the education committee of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Vermont chapter (on which I serve) has offered free ALA posters to 21 school, public and college libraries in order to help them use this week to draw attention to the dangers of censorship.

We have money to do this again this year.

The first ten libraries to email response to this post will receive the ALA Banned Book Week poster offered this year by ALA and shown in the ALA graphics catalog (p. 6) that was recently mailed.  The 2010 poster measures 24” by 32” and retails for $16.00.

See the 2010 poster at  http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=269

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Highlights of the Upcoming NELA Annual Conference

Learn how to work “Outside the Box” to meet today’s challenges for your library. The 2010 New England Library Association Annual Conference will be held October 17 – 19 at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Massachusetts. Join your colleagues from across the region for this exciting educational and networking event.

For details & registration information, please visit the conference website: http://www.nelib.org/conference/2010/

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Judith Krug – Librarian, Hero, Mentor, Friend

I’ve struggled for words to describe Judith Krug’s influence on my life since her death April 11, 2009. I dare not aspire to do her legacy justice when so many others have paid tribute so eloquently. See: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/rememberingjudith.cfm
I attended her service driven by a desperate need to be among those who recognized how extraordinary Judith was, and felt the magnitude of her loss, not only personally, but for the country and the world. The tightly woven fabric of her family and their generosity of sprit was awe inspiring. I am forever grateful that they shared so much of her with us.

I sat surrounded by my family, not by blood, but a bond of love, common purpose and respect that Judith knowingly propagated, then carefully cultivated and nurtured. Her boundless love and compassion will carry us through these rapids of sorrow and grief. We will carry on and carry the flame. Thank you dear Judith, my hero, my mentor, my friend and most cherished- my surrogate mom.

Gail Weymouth   Sherburne Memorial Library   Killington

VLA IFC /ALAIFC

Banned Books Week: September 27th – October 4th

Check out Ideas from 2007 on ways to celebrate Banned Books Week

Posted May 12 on the ALA website:

And Tango Makes Three” tops ALA’s 2007  list of most challenged books

456 words posted by **nanette perez** at 03:12 PM

643 views Categories: **Banned Books Week**

For a second consecutive year, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s book about two male penguins caring for an orphaned egg, tops the list of ALA’s 10 Most Challenged Books.

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