MOUNT VERNON — The Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County celebrates the freedom to read with a variety of Banned Books Week activities this September.
In keeping with its tradition of selecting a frequently censored text for Banned Books Week’s community read, the Library will offer a book giveaway of George Orwell’s Animal Farm starting on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at noon at the Main Library.
The book giveaway continues during Library hours while supplies last.
“We chose Animal Farm because we wanted a book that a broad audience would enjoy,” library staffer Jamie Lyn Smith-Fletcher said.
“It’s a fable with talking animals that offers engaging storytelling alongside a powerful message about the danger of tyranny.”
The American Library Association (ALA) theme for Banned Books Week 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines” and local Library activities seek to bring together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to read.
Additional Banned Books Week activities include a luncheon and Animal Farm Book Discussion on Sept. 25, and an author visit with celebrated — and frequent target of censorship — Ohio author Mindy McGinnis on Sept. 30.
ALA encourages readers to “…share our love of right to read and the freedom found in books. Let’s be Freed Between the Lines!”
Banned Books Week activities
● Animal Farm Book Giveaway. Stop by the Main Library on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at noon to pick up a free copy of Banned Books Week Community Read selection, Animal Farm by George Orwell.
The book giveaway continues at the Main Library during open hours, while supplies last.
● Animal Farm Book Discussion. Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Main Library. Join Librarian Christie for a lively discussion of Animal Farm, by George Owell.
All are welcome but advance registration is required.
As in previous years, the Library will offer complimentary box lunches at its book discussion for patrons who register by the Sept. 20 deadline. If you would like to order a luncheon, please visit https://forms.gle/qSL944EFNQtEEatd9 to register and select your meal options.
● An Ohio Heroine: Mindy McGinnis Author Visit. Monday, Sept. 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Main Library.
Ohio author Mindy McGinnis will discuss her experience as an author whose books have been censored, and her perspective on creative and literary freedom in conversation with Jamie Lyn Smith-Fletcher.
This September’s Banned Books Week celebration marks the third year that the Public Library will collaborate with PEN America, a literary freedom organization whose work “stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide.
We champion the freedom to write, recognizing 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.” Visit https://pen.org/ for more information about PEN America’s work preserving the freedom to write.
All Library events are free and open to the public, although advance registration is required for some programs. The Main Library is located at 201 North Mulberry Street in Mount Vernon.
For more information about Banned Books Week activities, please visit www.knox.net, email knoxwrites1@gmail.com or call 740-392-BOOK ext. 259.
Knox Community Hospital proudly supports the vibrant pulse of our community by sponsoring the Life & Culture section on Knox Pages, celebrating the stories and experiences that make our region unique.