{"id":20165,"date":"2012-10-16T04:47:17","date_gmt":"2012-10-16T09:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utnews.utoledo.edu\/?p=20165"},"modified":"2012-10-29T14:43:57","modified_gmt":"2012-10-29T19:43:57","slug":"celebrate-freedom-to-read-at-uts-banned-books-week-vigil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/10_16_2012\/celebrate-freedom-to-read-at-uts-banned-books-week-vigil","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate freedom to read at UT\u2019s Banned Books Week Vigil, ‘Mark Twain Night’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn<\/em> and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,<\/em> he concentrated on the carefree lives of two young boys growing up \u2014 yet these classics have been banned by schools across the country. <\/P><\/p>\n

\u201cHuckleberry Finn<\/em> particularly offended people who did not understand Twain\u2019s sharp sense of humor, ear for local dialogue, or clever satire of society,\u201d said Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, UT professor of communication and coordinator of the University\u2019s Banned Books Week event.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Huckleberry Finn<\/em> was published, the Concord Free Public Library banned it, saying the novel was \u201cinelegant\u201d and \u201ctrash of the veriest sort,\u201d according to The New York Herald from March 18, 1885.<\/p>\n

Although more than a century has passed since newspaper and magazine editors sparred about the literary value of Huckleberry Finn,<\/em> many school boards and other administrators have felt that these books were bad for children to read because of the coarse language.<\/p>\n

\u201cIronically, Twain did not write these books for children,\u201d Kilmer said. \u201cBut over time, educators have taught young people lessons about human nature as well as literature by requiring their students to read these gems. For example, Huck Finn learns that ignorance and greed, not race, often make folks unworthy of respect.\u201d <\/p>\n

This sort of censorship happens all the time. Besides Twain\u2019s works, books like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games<\/em> and Twilight<\/em> are among a list of many titles that are banned or have been removed from circulation.<\/p>\n

To bring awareness to this censorship and to celebrate the right to read, the American Library Association created Banned Books Week 30 years ago. For the last 15 years, UT has been a part of that event \u2014 and it\u2019s that time of year again.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Alan Kitty as Mark Twain<\/p><\/div>On Thursday, Oct. 18, UT\u2019s 15th Annual Banned Books Week Vigil will kick off the event. UT also will host \u201cMark Twain Night\u201d Friday, Oct. 19, featuring Twain impersonator Alan Kitty.<\/P><\/p>\n

Students, faculty and staff as well as community members are invited to to the third floor of Sullivan Hall for the free, public program Thursday. New presentations will begin every half hour from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and door prizes, including banned books, will be given away after each talk. Light refreshments will be offered all day.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Kitty\u2019s performance will take place in Libbey Hall from 7 to 9 p.m. The actor will present his original monologue, \u201cMark Twain\u2019s Last Stand,\u201d which contrasts his life as an author, speaker and social critic with his life as a husband and father.<\/p>\n

Light refreshments will be served; there also will be a cash bar. <\/p>\n

Tickets \u2014 $7.50 for students, $15 for one, $25 for two, and $100 for a table of eight \u2014 are available at utoledo.edu\/boxoffice or by calling 419.530.2375.<\/p>\n

Those who cannot afford to pay admission may contact Dr. Linda Smith at lsmith2@utnet.utoledo.edu to receive limited free tickets. <\/p>\n

Kitty\u2019s performance is made possible in part by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.<\/p>\n

Kilmer was head of the Banned Books Week Vigil Committee that consisted of Smith, Dr. Cynthia Ingham, Elaine Reeves, Arjun Sabharwal, Dr. Glenn Sheldon and Dr. Sumitra Srinivasan.<\/p>\n

Many sponsors have provided food and door prizes; these include Career Services, the Department of English, the Department of Theatre and Film, General Libraries, Friends of the Library Foundation, the Honors College, Marketing and Communications, Office of the Dean of Students, the Communication Department, the UT Federal Credit Union, Rocket Copy, Lambda Pi Eta, UT Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, The Independent Collegian, UT Writer\u2019s Guild, WXUT, Massage Therapist Ann Lumbrezer, Barry\u2019s Bagels, Dunkin\u2019 Donuts, Kroger, Dr. Mary Humphrys, New Sins Press, Phoenicia Cuisine, Yogurt U and Toledo Free Press.<\/p>\n

UT Banned Books Week Vigil<\/strong><\/p>\n

Topics and speakers for the event, which will take place Thursday, Oct. 18, on the third floor Sullivan Hall, will be: <\/p>\n

\u2022 9 a.m. \u2014 \u201cCelebrating Reading: Selections From The Princess Bride\u201d<\/em> by Joshua Manley, Pearl Grambell and Jasmine Townsend, members of the UT Writer\u2019s Guild;<\/p>\n

\u2022 9:30 a.m. \u2014 \u201cIn the Name of Democracy: Resurgence of Censorship in Post-Soviet Eastern Europe\u201d by Arjun Sabharwal, assistant professor and digital initiatives librarian;<\/p>\n

\u2022 10 a.m. \u2014 \u201cFrom \u2018Lucy\u2019 to \u20182 Broke Girls\u2019: TV and Its Cultural Impact\u201d by Dr. David Tucker, associate professor of communication;<\/p>\n

\u2022 10:30 a.m. \u2014 \u201cGoogle Bombs, SEO and Censorship\u201d by Dr. Paul Many, professor of communication; <\/p>\n

\u2022 11 a.m. \u2014 \u201cThe War on Women \u2026 as Old as History\u201d by Warren Woodbury, Toledo author;<\/p>\n

\u2022 11:30 a.m. \u2014 \u201cPrison Education: What Is the Point?\u201d by Dr. Renee Heberle, associate professor of political science;<\/p>\n

\u2022 noon \u2014 \u201cMy Favorite Book\u201d by Dr. William McMillen, assistant to the president;<\/p>\n

\u2022 1 p.m. \u2014 \u201cInequality and Democracy\u201d by Dr. Carter Wilson, professor of political science; <\/p>\n

\u2022 1:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cBook Burning in Nazi Germany\u201d by Dr. Larry Wilcox, professor of history, and Justin Pfeifer, student;<\/p>\n

\u2022 2 p.m. \u2014 \u201cGrey Matter\u201d by Dr. Ben Pryor, vice provost for academic program development;<\/p>\n

\u2022 2:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cJeopardy!\u201d by Vincent Scebbi, editor of The Independent Collegian;<\/p>\n

\u2022 3 p.m. \u2014 \u201cAvoiding the Echo Chamber: The Benefit of Dissenting Opinion\u201d by Sarah Ottney, managing editor of Toledo Free Press;<\/p>\n

\u2022 3:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cThomas Jefferson\u2019s Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth\u201d by Dr. Tom Barden, dean of the Honors College;<\/p>\n

\u2022 4 p.m. \u2014 \u201cBabes in Pornland:<\/em> The New Pornography Industry\u201d by Dr. Sharon Barnes, associate professor of women\u2019s and gender studies; and<\/p>\n

\u2022 4:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cDebased Ditties and Songs That Suffered Censorship\u201d by Dr. Ed Lingan, assistant professor of theatre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UT\u2019s 15th Annual Banned Books Week Vigil will be held Thursday, Oct. 18, and \u201cMark Twain Night,\u201d a performance by impersonator Alan Kitty, will take place Friday, Oct. 19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":538,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,36,7,37,43],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20165"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/538"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20165\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}