Hold a Read-in

Hold a Read-in

In a world where we’re swamped with information, few things outweigh the pleasure of getting lost in a good book. Literature takes the powerful forces that propel society and define the directions of our lives – from love, oppression, war, and the growing pains of childhood – and holds them up before us. We come out wiser, more compassionate, and more emboldened for having dipped our imaginations, our intellects, and hearts into worlds beyond the confines of our own. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way.

Want to know how you can fight back against censorship in your community?
Hold a read-in today.

A read-in is simply an event where community members gather together to celebrate and read challenged books. You can do it at school, at a local bookstore, a library, or a community center. You can even hold a read-in in your home or with your book club.

Interested? Contact us and we’ll try to help. Send an email to Gislaine Williams, [email protected]. We can send you some materials, from posters to Censorship Sucks stickers and Bill of Rights bookmarks. And, if you like, we’ll publicize your event to our email list so other civil libertarians in your area know about it.

In the meantime, here are some important tips for organizing your event.
Check out our Hold a Read-In checklist.

PLAN

  • Set the date way in advance. Give yourselves two months to get word out and organize. Weekends or Thursdays right after school and work will lead to the best turnout.
  • Secure a good location. Make sure you have the date locked in with the venue. Find a location that is centrally located, inviting to different types of people, and accessible to people with disabilities.
  • Pick a featured book – or a theme for your event. It could be Catcher in the Rye or adolescence for example. It could be Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret and female sexuality. African-American, Native American, or LGBT also make good themes. Note that books by minority authors tackling themes of race, exploitation, and sexual or gender identity are often challenged.
  • Try to get an author to come read the book or speak at your event. Why not try for Judy Blume? But don’t forget to reach out to local authors as well. They’ll likely be thrilled to join you.
  • Invite other local celebrities and artists to be a featured reader at the event. Invite your mayor and local newscaster. Think of an athlete on your town’s team. Having a few A-list invitees helps makes the event exciting.
  • Don’t forget about the basic physical materials you’ll need: enough chairs for everyone, some type of refreshments, a podium and microphone.
  • Get creative. You may also want to make “I Read Banned Books” buttons or stickers to give away or sell at the event.
  • Ask a local bookstore if they’ll give you a few copies of banned books to raffle off at your event.
  • Prepare something to leave with attendees –a list of recently banned books, a “which book has been banned” poster, or pamphlets on the ACLU or ALA.

PROMOTE

  • Think of something eye-catching and a little bit provocative. Would your local library or Barnes & Noble be willing to put up a Censorship Sucks display?
  • Put up posters at local libraries, bookstores, schools, and community centers.
  • Make flyers to hand out to friends.
  • Also send out an evite. Ask the people you invite to spread the word though Facebook, Twitter, and most importantly, word of mouth.
  • Personally mail out invitations to a few authors, academics, and community leaders.
  • Reach out to the press. Here is a sample press release. Before you send it, research your targets. You’ll want to look up email addresses for the book critic at your local newspapers and the calendar section; be sure to include blogs on your town like Do512.com in Austin or SanAntonioEvents.com. Also include your community radio station. Download a sample press release.
  • Do not pester the press. But it always helps to follow up with a phone call about a week before the event. Remind them that the read-in is happening, give them the event details, and reiterate that any press they can provide would be super helpful.

CELEBRATE

  • The day of, get there early, and have a few trusted helpers.
  • Plan out a schedule – time for mingling and refreshments, time to read, time for a Q&A.
  • Give a short speech – a two-minute introduction will do, with a few talking points on why you are against censorship and banning books.
  • Display the promotional giveaway materials in a place where people will take them. Contact the ACLU at [email protected] if you would like posters or Bill of Rights bookmarks.
  • Collect emails if you plan on holding future events.

Have fun!

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