The Eleanor Roosevelt Center and the Fisher Center at Bard College will present the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Book Awards Ceremony on Feb. 17 at the Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson.
The awards honor authors whose works champion intellectual freedom and the fight against censorship. Seven authors are being honored for experiencing the challenge of having their books banned by local municipalities, governments, or school boards.
The awardees include Laurie Halse Anderson for “SHOUT,” Mike Curato for “Flamer,” Alex Gino for “Melissa” (previously published as “George”), George M. Johnson for “All Boys Aren’t Blue”, Jelani Memory for “A Kids Book About Racism,” and Maia Kobabe for “Gender Queer.” Judy Blume will receive the Eleanor Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement Award for Bravery in Literature.
The awards are being presented through a collaboration of national and Hudson Valley organizations including the National Coalition Against Censorship, Freedom To Read Foundation, Penguin Random House, Mid-Hudson Library System, Oblong Books and The Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center. The Feb. 17 ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets range from $25–65 and are $5 for students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online and all proceeds will support the Eleanor Roosevelt Center’s future programming including the 2025 Award for Bravery in Literature.
Photo courtesy White House Historical Association
