The Forest Park Arts Alliance (FPAA) and the Forest Park Public Library (FPPL) are sponsoring a writing contest called “Use Your Voice” to encourage Forest Parkers to express themselves by writing and to celebrate Banned Books Week 2022.
The theme of the contest is, “What does your freedom as a reader mean to you?” Submissions should be under 500 words. “Tell us about your favorite book or author,” say event organizers, “and how they’ve changed you. Maybe you want to imagine your favorite book and what it would be like if that book didn’t exist.”
Although Banned Book Week comes at the end of September, Use Your Voice events will be scheduled during the entire month.
Sept. 7: Adult Write-In, Duffy’s, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
A write-in for the adult crowd, hosted by FPAA and FPPL, to find inspiration and support for creating a short piece for the contest.
Sept. 8: Young Adult Write-in, Brown Cow, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
A write-in for ages 14-17, hosted by the FPAA to provide inspiration and support for creating a short piece for the contest.
Sept. 18: Contest Submission Deadline
Bring your work to the library or submit online. Go to fppl.org/contest for more information. Entries will be accepted in two categories: ages 14-17 and 18 and over. Winners will be published in the Forest Park Review
Sept. 23: Use Your Voice Celebration, Centuries & Sleuths, 5:30 p.m.
Jarret Dapier, author of Mr. Watson’s Chickens, The Most Haunted House in America, and a forthcoming graphic novel on censorship, will be the featured speaker. The winners of the contest will be announced and all writers who participated will be honored.
The library and the Arts Alliance were motivated to sponsor this event celebrating freedom of expression because the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press” and because, according to the American Library Association, in 2021 there were “729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services, affecting 1,597 books.”
“Let’s celebrate the freedom of expression,” declared Skye Lavin, manager of Adult Services at FPPL, “and open access to information together as a community by speaking up on why we love to read!”
Maria Maxham, former editor of the Review, current village commissioner, member of the Arts Alliance and co-organizer with Lavin of the event, focused on how the contest encourages Forest Park residents to write.
“Everyone has things to say, and everyone’s thoughts and words are important. I can’t wait to see amazing writing coming out of Forest Park.”
“Banned books,” she explained, “is the general theme. The idea is both to celebrate the freedom we have to read and write, and to encourage Forest Park residents to be creative.”
Guidelines:
There is no fee to enter.
Each individual is limited to three entries. The limit is 500 words.
Work must be 100% unique and unplagiarized, though you may use quotes from books or other sources as long as you indicate them as such.
Entries will be read and evaluated by a panel of judges who will be announced before the event.
Entries will be accepted through 9 a.m. on September 18, 2022.
Submissions can be made online ( go to fppl.org/contest) or delivered to a dropbox at the library.
Lavin said, “This is a joyous, creative happening-in-the-making. Feeling the groundswell of support for literacy in the village is uplifting.”
Questions? Contact forestparkarts@gmail.com.
Top 10 most challenged books of 2021
According to the American Library Association
1. “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.
2. “Lawn Boy,” by Jonathan Evison
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
3. “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
4. “Out of Darkness,” by Ashley Hope Perez
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
5. “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda.
6. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term.
7. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” by Jesse Andrews
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women.
8. “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.
9. “This Book is Gay,” by Juno Dawson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
10. “Beyond Magenta,” by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
Learn More:
Banned Books Week: bannedbooksweek.org/about/
Freedom to Read Foundation: www.ftrf.org/default.aspx
American Library Association, Office For Intellectual
Freedom: www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks
American Library Association recent polling shows that seven in 10 voters oppose efforts to remove books from public libraries, including majorities of voters across party lines. Three-quarters of parents of public-school children (74%) express a high degree of confidence in school librarians to make good decisions about which books to make available to children, and when asked about specific types of books that have been a focus of local debates, large majorities say for each that they should be available in school libraries on an age-appropriate basis.
