Our local Desert Split Open reading series will hold their annual celebration for Banned Books Week from 5-7PM this Sunday (October 1st) at Joshua Tree’s Space Cowboy Books.
While some may presume book banning to be an antiquated infringement from America’s past, The American Library’s Association Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data more than twenty years ago. Censors targeted a record 2,571 unique titles in 2022, a 38% increase from 2021. Of those titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about people of color and Indigenous people.
Desert Split Open founder Susan Rukeyser said, “The sudden increase in book challenges motivated us to hold last year’s Banned Books Week event. This year, the situation is worse. We will read from books that have been challenged or banned. What some attempt to silence, we will amplify. Now, more than ever, we must speak up – not just against censorship but in favor of diverse voices and stories.”
The celebration will include a sign-up sheet where anyone can read from their favorite banned book, or from one provided at the table by Desert Split Open. The reading will take place at the Sun Alley Stage behind Space Cowboy Books, located at 61871 29 Palms Hwy in Joshua Tree.
All are welcome at this free community event.
