(AUSTIN/DALLAS/FORT WORTH)– PEN Austin and PEN Dallas will mark national Banned Books Week with two events on 9/25 and 9/26 open to the public featuring author and NBC News investigative reporter Mike Hixenbaugh, who will discuss his new book, They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity and the New War for America’s Classrooms. Events are Wed., 9/25, at 7 p.m. at Austin Central Library (710 W Cesar Chavez St.) and Thurs., 9/26, at 7:30 p.m. at Bishop Arts Theatre Center in Dallas (215 S Tyler St.). Doors open 30 minutes before the start of each event.
At the Austin event, Hixenbaugh, who is a co-creator of the Peabody Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist Southlake podcast, will be joined by Frank Strong, co-founder of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, and Texas librarian and co-founder of #Freadom Fighters, Becky Calzada. PEN America’s Freedom to Read program director, Kasey Meehan, will moderate the panel. A Q&A with the audience will be followed by a reception.
At the Dallas event, Hixenbaugh will be joined in conversation by Kelly Jensen of Book Riot, a former librarian, author, and advocate who writes about censorship. The discussion will be moderated by noted Dallas author and PEN Dallas Chapter leader Sanderia Faye.
They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms pulls back the curtain on the powerful forces driving this crusade to ban books and restrict what is taught in schools, and in the process limit rights for minority and LGBTQ+ students.
Tim Staley, PEN Austin Chapter Leader and executive director of The Library Foundation, said: “This event comes at a critical juncture in our country’s fight for free expression. We have seen increasingly aggressive attempts to curtail literary access in schools and libraries across Texas. The event will offer an overview of the current censorious book banning campaigns engulfing Texas and guidance on how to fight to preserve access to literature for all.”
PEN Dallas Chapter Leader and event moderator Sanderia Faye said: “Free expression is a cornerstone of a thriving democracy, and essential to ensure that every individual has the right to share ideas, stories, and perspectives without fear of censorship. In Texas, we are experiencing a troubling rise in book bans, threatening access to diverse literature and the fundamental freedom to think critically and engage with different viewpoints. Pushing back against these bans is crucial to safeguarding intellectual freedom, fostering open dialogue, and promoting an inclusive society where all voices, especially those from marginalized communities, can be heard.”
Bios of the participants and details on the events are available on the PEN America Banned Books Week events webpage.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write and recognize the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057