50. On Book Banning and Censorship

The freedom to read is under attack. From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today’s state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans and censorship arise from the impulse toward social control. Ira Wells’s On Book Banning is a nuanced historical study, a rallying cry, and a guide to resistance. He’s joined on-stage by Mike Curato—whose graphic novel about queer identity and self-acceptance, Flamer, is “one of the most banned books in America” (NPR)—and author and translator Jeremy Tiang, who will discuss the coercive forms of censorship in his home country of Singapore, where some of the authors he translates are unable to have their books published. This will be a vital conversation about freedom of speech and the state of censorship today. Moderated by Marian Botsford Fraser.

Presented thanks to the generous support of the Al Roadburg Foundation.

This event is open to everyone, and has been curated with the Pro-D day for teachers in mind. Teachers may be interested in the following information. This event is also suitable for students in grades 10–12.

Themes: Pro-D, creative writing, LGBTQ2SIA+, current affairs, social justice
Curriculum Connections: Creative Writing 10–12, Explorations in Social Studies 11, Social Justice 12, Political Studies 12

More information about the Festival:
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Event Participants:

Marian Botsford Fraser

MARIAN BOTSFORD FRASER is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, critic, author of four nonfiction books, writer for Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Literary Review of Canada, and GRANTA; Books Editor, MORE magazine. In Vancouver in the 80s, freelance documentarian and host: CBC Radio, notably for IDEAS and Testament, and “casual temporary summer relief” announcer! PEN Canada president, 1994-95; PEN International board member and Writers in Prison Committee chair, 1999-2015. In 2022, Marian wisely moved back from Toronto to Vancouver.

Mike Curato

MIKE CURATO is Filipino-Irish American author and illustrator of books for children, teens, and adults. Mike’s debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult. Gaysians is his adult debut.

Jeremy Tiang

JEREMY TIANG is a novelist and playwright, and the translator of over thirty books from Chinese. He was awarded the Singapore Literature Prize for his novel State of Emergency and for his translation of Zhang Yueran's Cocoon, and he recently won an Obie Award for his play Salesman之死. Originally from Singapore, he now lives in New York City.

Ira Wells

IRA WELLS is a critic, essayist, and an associate professor at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, where he teaches in the Northrop Frye stream in literature and the humanities in the Vic One program. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.