Madison Markham is the Program Assistant for the Freedom to Read Program at PEN America. She received a BA in Sociology/Gender Studies from New College of Florida, where she received a Margaret Bates Award for her honors thesis on the role of queer student culture within higher education. Following politically motivated restrictions to academic freedom at New College, she helped lead student organizing efforts to protect free expression and inclusivity at the college, including co-hosting the [NEW] Commencement alternative graduation. During her time as an undergraduate, she also served as a Research Assistant for Dr. Sarah Hernandez and interned for the Margaret Good for Congress (FL-16) campaign.
Madison Markham
Program Assistant, Freedom to Read
Articles by Madison Markham
Thursday August 22
The State of Book Bans: Utah’s ‘No-Read List’
The law has now opened the floodgates for mass bans across Utah, and also requires schools to “dispose” of any banned books from their libraries.
Thursday July 18
The State of Book Bans: Wisconsin’s Battle with “Parental Rights”
Even without a “parental rights” law on the books, the rhetoric and associated policies have led to chaos in schools and libraries across Wisconsin.
Friday May 10
The State of Book Bans: South Carolina Is Poised to Get Worse
If the South Carolina legislators pushing these regulations paid attention, they’d see that creating further pathways to remove books has consistently been a disaster.