Banned Books Week Read-in at the Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch -- October 5.
Monday, October 5, 5 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30th Street, Rock Island IL
Held in conjunction with the October 4 through 10 Banned Books Week – a celebration of our collective freedom to read – the Midwest Writing Center's and Rock Island Public Library's annual Banned Books Read-In will take place on October 5, with more than a dozen participants gathering at the library's Watts-Midtown Branch to read from frequently challenged works and unite in the fight against censorship.
Founded by First Amendment and library activist Judith Krug, Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, book stores, and libraries across the country. With its annual awareness campaign promoted by the American Library Association (ALA) and Amnesty International, the event highlights the value of free and open access to information, and was designed to gather the book community – librarians, book sellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types – in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, among them those that some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.
Last year's most challenged books were: Sold by Patricia McCormick; The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe; Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas; Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo; Tricks by Ellen Hopkins; A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas; A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess; Identical by Ellen Hopkins; Looking for Alaska by John Green; and Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
Among those participating in this year's Banned Books Read-in are: Susan Wahlmann reading for the Rock Island Public Library; Midwest Writing Center board member Monica Flink; area actor and instructor John Turner; the Project of the Quad Cities' Kai Parker and Joey Parker; Recycled Valentine's Melissa Conway; the River Cities' Reader's Mike Schulz; and cast members from the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's November production of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit.
The 2026 Banned Books Read-In will begin at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch at 5 p.m., admission to the event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7330 and visiting MWCQC.org, or calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org.
