Fiction

Celebrate Banned Books Week With a Virtual Read-Out

Amanda Nelson

Staff Writer

Amanda Nelson is an Executive Director of Book Riot. She lives in Richmond, VA.

Banned Book Week is this week, from September 30th until October 6th. Many of us will participate by reading a book or books from the list of most frequently challenged tomes, but you can up your participation by doing a virtual read-out.

What Do You Speak Of, Willis?
A virtual read-out is a simple video recording of you, reading a two-minute selection from a book that has been banned or challenged since its publication. You then submit the video here, and it will be added to the BBW Virtual Read-Out’s YouTube channel. Be sure to check out the ALA’s Virtual Read-out page to read over the other submission criteria.

In the words of LeVar Burton, you don’t have to take my word for it. Judy Blume thinks speaking out against censorship is super-duper, too:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuhp3VTQQ2Q&feature=share&list=PLC0A36E5C34C97552[/youtube]

And check out this AMAZING Virtual Read-Out from Bookman’s, an independent bookstore, featuring several children reading from banned books (your read-out doesn’t need to be this fancy):

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb8mBGjsU5A&feature=share&list=PL1CB3719DE99C84C7[/youtube]

AAAAANNNDD this one, from authors who have had their work banned:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m51PXru3pug[/youtube]