Register Now for Show Up and Speak Up!
Join us Thursday, September 24, at 2:00 pm ET for the Show Up, Speak Up: Vote for the Freedom to Read virtual event, a variety show-style telethon in support of free expression and in opposition to book ban legislation.
Together with authors, librarians, educators, publishers, booksellers, parents, and students we’re going to make our plan to VOTE and then call or email our reps to ensure they’re championing the freedom to read. (Judy Blume and The Daily Show’s Kat Radley have been added to the line-up!)
Register for free at nobookbans.org!
Banned Books Week Honorary Chairs
As a member of the Banned Books Week Coalition, American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) is thrilled to announce that award-winning authors and free expression advocates Bess Kalb (Buffalo Fluffalo) and Tony Weaver, Jr. (Weirdo), have been named honorary chairs for Banned Books Week 2026 (October 4–10, 2026). They will be joined by youth honorary chairs Marshall Romero and Azeemah Sadiq.
To learn more about the honorary chairs, visit BannedBooksWeek.org/honorary-chairs/.
Advocacy at NEIBA
Last week, ABA’s Director of Free Expression, Advocacy & Public Policy David Grogan, appeared at NEIBA’s Fall Conference on a panel covering some of the most pressing issues facing booksellers right now: ADA website compliance lawsuits, swipe fee reform, and federal bills looking to censor books on race and gender.
Advocacy session panelists pictured below, left to right: David Grogan (American Booksellers for Free Expression, Advocacy, and Public Policy), Kenny Brechner of DDG Booksellers (Farmington, ME), Rebecca Morton of Back Cove Books (Portland, ME), and Kathleen Crowley of Belmont Books (Belmont, MA).
