10th Annual Banned Books Readout: Belonging on the Shelf

In a record year for the number of book bannings across the U.S., we gather to celebrate freedom of expression by reading aloud from books that have been challenged. Join the University Library, the Department of Journalism, the Queer Studies Program and the Pride Center for the 10th Annual Banned Books Readout! CSUN Associate Professor of Journalism and First Amendment Scholar Elizabeth Blakey will speak about censorship and belonging. CSUN students in Professor Blakey's J480 History of American News Media class will give dramatic readings. Snacks will be available at the Northridge Center entrance from 12:15 p.m.- 12:30 p.m.. The event is free and everyone is welcome.

This year Banned Books Readout will feature a presentation by guest speaker Karimah Tennyson-Marsh, "Banned Books Belong in Our Community." Karimah Tennyson-Marsh is a both a writer and an 8th Grade ELA teacher at Century Community Charter School. She is a veteran teacher with close to 20 years experience, most of which have been at CCCS. She holds an MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles and a Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing. She is a regular contributor for Rich in Color, a blog focusing on promoting & reviewing diverse YA literature, in which her essays have also been featured on the Pen America blog, The Children’s Book Council blog, and more. She is a 2014 VONA/Voices Fellow; a 2017 T-Lab Fellow, participating in the Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance workshop held at The Globe Theater in London; and a participant of the ALA’s Day of Diversity conference that gathered authors, bloggers, teachers and librarians to promote diverse voices in Children’s and YA literature.