FEATURED CONVERSATION: EMPTY SHELVES—A HISTORY, DISCUSSION, AND READING OF BANNED BOOKS

Books have the power to inspire, entertain, and inform. They are also targets of parent groups, school officials, and sometimes entire governments who see them as dangerous or offensive. These book challenges and outright bans often claim to protect younger readers; however, objecting to a book’s subject matter frequently crosses over into issues of freedom of speech, leading to legal battles and, in recent years, social media attacks on writers, teachers, and librarians. Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air book critic and Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown, wrote and filmed a Wondrium/ Great Courses lecture series on banned books, and will lead this conversation with a group of award-winning writers, including Michael Cunningham, Margot Douaihy, and Jewelle Gomez. Included in the conversation will be readings from the panelists’ favorite banned books.