Show Notes
Samira Ahmed is a New York Times Bestselling author and leader within Authors Against Book Bans. In this episode, she goes deep on the importance of curiosity, the power of small actions taken locally, and why one of the most common questions that arises about book bans is ultimately not important.
Show Notes: Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
Internment by Samira Ahmed
This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed
Authors Against Book Bans
Kasama bakery
Tinker v. Des Moines
Chicago Human Rhythm Project
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Full transcript available at liberatinglit.com.
More from Liberating Lit
Through collective action, we create change. Emily Drabinski talks why union philosophies are crucial to literary advocacy; the tweet heard round the world and what it says about American political fears; and how we utilize the tools available to protect libraries, library workers, and access to literature. Show Notes: Show Notes: Organize Your Library: Building the Collective Power of Library Workers by Angelo Moreno, Kelly McElroy, Meredith Kahn, and Emily Drabinski
Serena Jamison is a library trustee in suburban Chicago. On this episode of Liberating Lit, she talks about why we need local-level advocacy, the power of getting to know your neighbors, and the role and responsibility of being a trustee during a time of coordinated attacks on libraries–and why it's important she does this work as a trans woman. Show Notes: The Librarians film
On this episode of Liberating Lit, Marley Dias talks about being a young literary advocate, growing in her work from 1,000 Black Girl books, and the power of sharing your message and passion with young people.
That Librarian Amanda Jones talks about the mental health realities of fighting censorship, influential leaders and literature that have guided her work, and why she believes the pendulum is swinging back in favor of the freedom to read. Show Notes: That Librarian by Amanda Jones
For the second episode of Liberating Lit, get to know the work of Dr. Emily Knox. Knox's expansive knowledge and experience with book censorship across American history informs so much of the work being done nationwide by advocates–including current and future librarians working in the field. We're going deep into the strange place of being a parent watching your child learn to read and the concerns that arise about what that really means and what we think it means. Emily is interim dean and professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include information access and intellectual freedom and censorship. She is a member of the Mapping Information Access research team. The second edition of her book, Book Banning in 21st Century America (Bloomsbury), was published in January 2026. Her most previous book Foundations of Intellectual Freedom (ALA Neal-Schuman) won the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Prize for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom. She has been interviewed by media outlets such as NPR and the New York Times and also testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on book banning. Emily previously served on the boards of the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and is a former editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. She received her PhD from the doctoral program at the Rutgers University School of Communication & Information. Show Notes: Book Banning in 21st-Century America by Dr. Emily Knox