Freedom to Read Student Workshop – Iowa City

PEN America and Iowa City Public Library are excited to announce our first Freedom to Read Student Workshop for high school students this June! In this special evening program, students from the Iowa City area will be welcome to engage with staff from PEN America’s Free Expression and Education team in a discussion on the nationwide book-banning crisis and the intolerance, exclusion, and censorship undergirding it.

Join us virtually on June 22 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm CT to learn more about PEN America’s latest report “Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools”  and the expanded censorship over the past year of literature themed on race, history, sexual orientation and gender. Following a presentation on our report, our workshop will then cover effective advocacy strategies for students to consider, provide a Q+A opportunity with staff, and then invite students to get involved in a variety of student programs through our Next Gen PEN America campaign.