Hybrid Presentation

Bogey Monsters and Book Bans: Considering Youth Perspectives to Shine a Light on Myths in Debates around Children’s Literature

The currently sizzling nationwide debate around book-bans, freedom of speech, and young people’s right to read is often reduced to binaries: banning a bunch of books vs. keeping them all accessible, teachers’ perspectives vs. parents’ perspectives, safety and comfort vs. the First Amendment, left vs. right. However, this either/or side-taking often neglects essential aspects around literacy and access to literature, and perhaps most prominent among these neglected aspects are the voices and perspectives of young readers themselves. 

In this talk, Dr. Jason Griffith will share stories from his 21 years as a literacy educator while unpacking important reader-centered scholarship and viewpoints with the hope of dispelling common myths and exploring rational nuances in support of young people’s right to read.

Presenter Biography: Dr. Jason Griffith is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy Education at Penn State University. Before earning his doctorate in English Education from Arizona State University in 2018, Jason taught middle school and high school English in Carlisle, PA for 12 years, during which he earned National Board Certification and became a Fellow of the National Writing Project. In 2012, the National Council of Teachers of English recognized Jason with the Outstanding Middle Level Educator Award. Jason currently serves on the selection committee for the Orbis Pictus Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Literature for Children, and he has previously served on other book juries including the Lee Bennett Hopkins Children’s Poetry Award and the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize.

*Sponsored By the Indian Valley Public Library Foundation of Friends*

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This presentation will be held at the library as well as online.  To register, enter your information below.  Questions?  Contact DeAnne O'Brien at dobrien@ivpl.org.