PEN Podcast: Philip Fried Reads from the New American Poetry Anthology
The New American Poetry Anthology 1945 was banned in Colorado because of poems like Gergory Corso's "Marriage." In honor of Banned Books Week, the PEN podcast features Philip Fried… More
Sacrifice and Self-Censorship before Russia’s “Gay Propaganda” Law
For those of us outside Russia, it’s hard to convey the kind of risk Wilke and her publisher were contemplating. The Putin presidency has committed serious violence—only some of… More
Rachel Eliza Griffiths Reads The Bluest Eye
Rachel Eliza Griffiths reads and excerpt from Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. More
Eyes, Exile, and Opportunity: Banning Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye
"The capital and complex imagination of black people has always been banned, unless it is supportive in the service of the privileged body’s desire to view itself as superior." More
Timothy Donnelly Reads “Little Red Riding Hood and Wolf” by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl's children's books have been censored and banned consistently for their adult themes of violence, sexual inferences, profanity, and overall themes of "disobedience."Celebrate Banned Books Week with Dahl's… More
Alex Dimitrov Reads Allen Ginsberg
In celebration of this year's Banned Books Week, Alex Dimitrov reads "I Am Not" and "Personals Ad" by the frequently-banned Allen Ginsberg. More
Sherman Alexie on Banned Books, Civil Liberties, and Masturbation
The bestselling author on surveillance, free expression, and--yes--masturbation in young adult literature. More
On Beauty: Banning Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye
The narrative that Pecola absorbs from the world around her is simple. It tells her that to be beautiful is to be white. It shapes her identity at the… More
The Banning of Sandpiper
I can write a letter or two and send off copies of the book to interested parties, but, as the arguments rage, I’m here in my office working on… More
On D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover
What scandalized (and scandalizes) conservative forces and even many of Lawrence’s colleagues in the literary world was not only Connie’s adultery, but the author’s failure to condemn the same... More
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