The Right to Read: Ensuring Access to Books for Everyone, Everywhere featuring Cory Doctorow, Leah Johnson and Kelly Brotzman

Join us in-person or online over Zoom Webinar for a National Banned Books Week panel discussion program. The Boston Public Library is part of a national coalition of libraries ensuring access to eBooks for teens and young adults. The Books Unbanned initiative was launched by the Brooklyn Public Library in response to an increased call for book bans in public and school libraries across the country. The Boston Public Library was the third public library to join the initiative, following the Seattle Public Library, by providing access to a large, curated collection of books that have been banned through history to anyone anywhere in the country ages 13 – 26. At this program, from 6-7 pm, noted authors Cory Doctorow and Leah Johnson, as well as the Executive Director of the Prison Book Program, Kelly Brotzman, will discuss book banning and censorship and how it has impacted their work and the ability for children and teens everywhere to get access to books that can shape their lives. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions toward the end of the program. A book signing with Trident Booksellers will follow from 7-7:30 pm. Leah Johnson is an eternal midwesterner and author of award-winning books for children and young adults. Her bestselling debut YA novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, was a Stonewall Honor Book, the inaugural Reese's Book Club YA pick, and was named by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Her second middle grade, Bree Boyd is a Legend is forthcoming from Disney-Hyperion in March 2025. When she’s not writing, you can find her at Loudmouth Books, her Indianapolis-based independent bookstore that specializes in highlighting the work of marginalized authors and uplifting banned or challenged books. Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently The Bezzle (a followup to Red Team Blues) and The Lost Cause, a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. His most recent nonfiction book is The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation, a Big Tech disassembly manual. Other recent books include Red Team Blues, a science fiction crime thriller; Chokepoint Capitalism, nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; the Little Brother series for young adults; In Real Life, a graphic novel; and the picture book Poesy the Monster Slayer. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Kelly Brotzman is the Executive Director of Prison Book Program in Quincy, a 50-year old nonprofit devoted to sending free, high-quality books and reading materials to people in prisons and jails across the country. Under Kelly's leadership, PBP has grown tremendously, holding nearly 200 volunteer sessions per year and expanding to serve incarcerated readers in all 50 states. Her passion for supporting people in prison comes from her experiences teaching college classes in prisons and volunteering as an academic mentor to incarcerated college students. Prior to joining PBP, Kelly spent 20 years in higher education leading offices and programs dedicated to service-learning and teaching classes about social justice, poverty, and inequality. Kelly has a PhD in social ethics from the University of Chicago. In her free time, she likes looking at contemporary art and antiques and being outside, preferably with dogs. To attend this program online via Zoom Webinar, please register here: https://boston-public-library.... Accessibility Notice: We strive to make our events accessible. To request a disability accommodation and/or language services, contact the department listed in the "Contact Info" pane on the right. Please allow at least two weeks to arrange accommodation.