LES FIGUES SPONSORED PANEL:

On Body & Banning: Honoring Kathy Acker and Questioning Sexual and Racial Borders of Censorship

3:00-3:45 pm
Council Chambers, West Hollywood Library

In this panel discussion co-convened by Les Figues Press, artists and authors will discuss the politics of banned books by discussing the representations and practices of queer sex and body in literature and performance. Esteemed panelists will discuss questions of banning by way of body, blood, and pulp. Moderated by Margaret Rhee and featuring Ron Athey, Raquel Gutierrez and Michael Du Plessis.

ABOUT WEHO READS BANNED BOOKS:

The City of West Hollywood celebrates the literary community with the author series WeHo Reads, featuring new and noteworthy authors at the West Hollywood Library. This year-round author series culminates in a full day of literary events, including a panel hosted by Les Figues Press and books tabled for sale!

It’s hard to imagine that beloved books like “Huckleberry Finn,” “The Hunger Games,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Perks of a Wallflower,” and “Of Mice and Men” have all been banned or challenged at some point over the years.

In honor of Banned Books Week, WeHo Reads—the City of West Hollywood’s ongoing author series—has scheduled a full day of literary and artistic events, on Saturday, September 26, 2015, from 11am to 7pm in the City Council Chambers and Autocourt (625 N. San Vicente Blvd).

WeHo Reads Banned Books will start at 11am with book readings and activities for children. Throughout the day, performance art, queer sticker-making workshops and other art activities will take place.

In addition, there will be several panel discussions from authors that have been banned and/or deemed controversial for issues related to race, religion, gender, sexuality and/or other ‘hot button’ issues. Bookmark this site and check it frequently for updates on participating authors as they are announced!

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read, in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. According to the American Library Association more than 11,300 books have been challenged since then.

WeHo Reads is being produced by The City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Library with the support of Red Hen Press, Les Figues Press, PEN Center USA, and Book Soup.

September 26, 2015
12pm-7pm
WeHo Reads: Banned Books
Free!