28th Annual UToledo Banned Books Vigil Oct. 9

28th Annual UToledo Banned Books Vigil Oct. 9

Part of the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, the festival celebrates the right to read and think freely and recognizes the vital role reading plays in democracy.

UToledo students, staff, faculty and community members are invited to the event, which begins at 9 a.m. and ends after the 4:30 p.m. musical talk. A new 20-minute presentation begins every half hour.

Thousands of schools, libraries and other groups will host a local event themed to the American Library Association's 2025 Banned Books Week slogan, "Censorship is so 1984."

"This year, attacks on libraries and the right to express our views freely threaten the future of our democracy," said Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, a retired UToledo faculty member and the coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Coalition. "Many of these attempts to censor originate in pressure groups and government officials."

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom reports that nearly 72% of censorship attempts in 2024 came from pressure groups and government officials.

"Censors targeted 2,452 different book titles during 2024," she said. "When books disappear from library shelves, we lose our right to read freely and then we cannot think freely."

Free books, door prizes and light refreshments will be provided throughout the event. Mini-subs will be served at noon followed by pizza at 3:30 p.m.

The 28th Annual Banned Books Week Vigil will open with a welcome from Dr. Benjamin Myers, a professor and chair of the Department of Communication and Media, and Tom Atwood, a professor and dean of University Libraries, and continue with the following presentations:

• 9:30 a.m. - "41 Years Late: '1984' has Arrived," by Dr. Daniel Compora, a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature.

• 10 a.m. - "Defying Book Bans: Acts of Resistance, Quiet and Loud," by Michelle Davidson, a Distinguished University Lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature.

• 10:30 a.m. - "Lessons on Tyranny," video presentation.

• 11 a.m. - "Banned Books Matching Game," with Joni McIntire, Poet Laureate of Lucas County.

• 11:30 a.m. - "Defending Women from Gender Ideology," by Dr. Sharon Barnes, department chair and associate professor of Women's and Gender Studies.

• Noon - "Books Banned Over the Years," by Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, a retired UToledo faculty member and Banned Books Vigil coordinator.

• 12:30 p.m. - "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This," by Saadia Farooq, a Bowling Green State University graduate student.

• 1 p.m. - Dr. Linda Smith Lecture: "Veiled Nevermore: Masked Meanings and Mythologies of Edgar Allan Poe," by Jodi Jameson, an associate professor and nursing librarian at Mulford Library.

• 2 p.m. - "The Space-Time Discontinuum: The Indigenous-European Discontent," by Dr. Barabara Mann, a UToledo professor emerita in the Jesup Scott Honors College.

• 2:30 p.m. - "Banned Books Jeopardy," with Joni McIntire, Poet Laureate of Lucas County.

• 3 p.m. - "Book Banning and Book Theft: Book practical Responses to Ideological Action," by Robert Barringer, director of the Blissfield Library.

• 3:30 p.m. - "TikTok Made Me Read It: Banned Books Go Viral," by Jeanne Kusina, director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

• 4 p.m. - "Poets During the McCarthy Era," by Joni McIntire, Poet Laureate of Lucas County.

• 4:30 p.m. - "The Banning of Critical Thinking: In Song," Risa Cohen, director of Sing into Reading.

The 28th Annual Banned Books Vigil is asking for monetary donations and banned books to be purchased at the University Bookstore. To arrange a donation and to be honored at the event, contact Kilmer at [email protected].

For more information about the 28th anniversary of the UToledo Banned Books Vigil, visit the UToledo Banned Books Coalition website or contact Kilmer at [email protected].