Press Releases

 
Canadians Mark Annual Freedom to Read Week
Toronto, ON – Join writers, booksellers, publishers, readers, librarians and educators across Canada as they participate in the 22nd Freedom to Read Week (February 26–March 4, 2006).

Freedom to Read Week reminds Canadians of their right to read and publicizes threats of book and magazine censorship.

“As Canadians, we preen ourselves about the extent of our freedom of expression, and we don’t always realize that this right was not only hard won but is under daily attack,” says Gabriele Lundeen, Chair of the Freedom of Expression Committee. “Let’s use this week to think about the challenges to our freedom to read.”

From a “Take Back the Page” forum sponsored by Geist magazine, the Vancouver Public Library and Little Sister’s Bookstore, to reading marathons in Manitoba and essay contests in Alberta, to a PEN Canada-sponsored evening “Beyond Exile” in Toronto, to reading events in Nova Scotia, you can find events in your community. For more information on what’s happening near you, visit www.freedomtoread.ca.

You can visit BookCrossings.com to “read and release” books that have been challenged in Canada. Or you can enter the Freedom of Expression Committee’s photography contest. Photograph challenged books, Freedom to Read Week events, or anything that celebrates our freedom to read. You can find instructions on how to participate in BookCrossings.com and the photography contest at www.freedomtoread.ca.

The Freedom of Expression Committee publishes an annual review and poster. Freedom to Read 2006 highlights censorship issues, includes news updates, and features articles by Canadian writers. It also includes a “Get Involved” section with activity ideas for educators, students and librarians. You can find details at www.freedomtoread.ca.

About Freedom to Read Week
The Book and Periodical Council established the Freedom of Expression Committee in 1978 in response to the attempted censorship of books by Margaret Laurence, John Steinbeck and J.D. Salinger. Since 1984, the Committee has organized Freedom to Read Week, a cross-country celebration of intellectual freedom. For a complete list of sponsors please visit www.freedomtoread.ca.

For more information, contact
Book and Periodical Council
416-975-9366 or publicity@freedomtoread.ca