Book Banning and Best Response Strategies

A panel with SIBA Booksellers and PEN America's Freedom to Read and Digital Safety teams

November 9, 2024 at 1:00 PM, Eastern Time

Register here

During the last year, SIBA bookstores have reported widespread efforts to ban books, including in-person and online harassment over their inventory choices, book displays, and events. In this session, we’ll hear from Sabrina Baeta of PEN America's Freedom to Read team and Jeje Mohammed of PEN's Digital Safety team on what’s happening in our territory, and best practices when dealing with these kinds of situations. We’ll also hear from three booksellers on the front lines in Arkansas, New Orleans, and Florida.

Panelists: Mitchell Kaplan, Books and Books in Coral Gables, FL Kandi West, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, AR D.J. Johnson, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, LA Sabrina Baeta of PEN America's Freedom to Read team Jeje Mohammed of PEN America's Digital Safety team

The event is open to all members of the book industry.

About the presenters:

Mitchell Kaplan, a native of Miami Beach, opened the first Books & Books in 1982 in Coral Gables, Florida. Now with four South Florida locations, Books & Books hosts over 400 events per year. In addition, the original Coral Gables location is home to the well-established Café at Books & Books, and there are Books & Books affiliated stores at the Miami International Airport, and in Key West, where he collaborates with the noted author Judy Blume and her husband, George. Among his honors, Mitchell served as president of the American Booksellers Association, and he received the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation. Books & Books was also Publishers Weekly’s bookstore of the year. He now serves on the Board of the National Coalition Against Censorship. As co-founder of the Miami Book Fair in 1985, Mitchell has served as the chairperson of its Board of Directors and continues to guide the programming team at the Fair which takes place on the campus of Miami Dade College in the heart of downtown Miami. Each year the Fair presents close to 500 authors over one week in November, along with a street festival, where bookstalls line the streets adjacent to the campus. Programs take place in Creole, Spanish and English, reflecting the diversity of Miami. Mitchell, with his partner Paula Mazur, established The Mazur Kaplan Company to bring books to the screen, both film and television. His most recent release is Let Him Go starring Diane Lane and Kevin Costner. Mitchell also hosts the podcast The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan, broadcast from Miami, where he lives with his wife, Rachelle. They have three children , Anya, Daniel and Jonah.

WordsWorth Books is a general interest bookstore in Little Rock, AR, and has been serving the Central Arkansas community for over 30 years in its current location. Kandi West purchased the majority ownership of the store at the beginning of 2023 after working part-time at the store as a bookseller for several years. With an education background in finance and business and a former career in project management, Kandi is enjoying finding ways to use her skills and her passion for books and reading to build upon the legacy of WordsWorth's service to the local literary community. When she's not at the store, you can find her texting memes to her college age daughters with hopes of receiving signs of life, snuggling with Rosie, her Cavalier King Charles dog, and of course, reading.

DJ Johnson is a visionary entrepreneur, community leader, and advocate for social change. As the founder of Baldwin & Co., NOLA Art Bar, and Baldwin & Co. Foundation, DJ Johnson has established a legacy of creating vibrant community hubs and intellectual centers where individuals from diverse backgrounds come together in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Recognizing the pressing need for social change and the disparities faced by Black communities, DJ Johnson established the Baldwin & Co. Foundation. Through this foundation, DJ Johnson is developing and implementing programs that directly address education, income, and employment disparities in Black communities across the country.

DJ Johnson is unwavering in his commitment to combating poverty and creating economic empowerment for Black youth. Understanding the transformative power of education, DJ Johnson utilizes the foundation's resources to provide scholarships, mentorship programs, and educational initiatives that equip young individuals with the tools they need to succeed. By leveraging the power of books and education, DJ Johnson aims to break the cycle of poverty, reduce crime rates, and improve the overall economic landscape of marginalized communities.

Sabrina Baêta is a Program Consultant with Freedom to Read at PEN America. She engages in research and awareness-building around censorship attacks on public K-12 education, especially as it relates to literature accessibility in libraries and classrooms. Sabrina graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Music in Voice, and then from the University of Central Florida with a Master of Nonprofit Management. She is a poet, essayist, and writer and prior to PEN America, worked in educational publishing and in a variety of performing arts and education nonprofits.

Jeje Mohamed is the senior manager for digital safety and free expression at PEN America. She oversees the training program and resource development for journalists, academics, and writers, equipping them with tools, safety tips, and resources to defend themselves against online harassment. She has over a decade of experience in journalism, human rights, and safety and security. She provides training, practical tools, and strategies for journalists and activists on trauma-informed and identity-aware digital safety, physical safety, de-escalation, and psychological first aid. She has worked as a journalist in Egypt and the United States and produced documentaries and podcasts focusing on human rights abuses in both places.