The English Department observed Banned Books week this September with our annual readings in front of the library. The event was spearheaded by the fearless Dr. Katherine Conley, who spoke with UCA’s Echo about the importance of Banned Books Week in a recent article. Dr. Conley, along with majors and faculty, read excerpts from a large variety of banned works from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, to Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give.
Graduate Student Paul Perroni
Paul Perroni, English MA student and Graduate Assistant to Slant: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry, kicked off the week with a dramatic reading of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl.
We did a drawing from all the students who volunteered to perform readings and help with the set up. Our winners received two of the top banned books of 2022, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. We also awarded a pretty snazzy “Read Banned Books” mug. Congratulations to our drawing winners Sumer Brown, Keaton King, and Gabby Thurman!
All in all, it was a successful Banned Books Week! Stay tuned for our Banned Books Week plans next year, and more English news updates.