OLYMPIA — In honor of Banned Books Week (Oct. 4-10, 2026), Washington authors speak out against censorship and share what reading freely means to them.
The Washington Center for the Book, a program of the Office of the Secretary of State, partnered with the Washington chapter of Authors Against Book Bans to curate a collection of short videos about what it means to read and write freely, featuring Washington authors. This video series is the latest update to the ongoing Washington Reads Freely project.
The first collection of videos includes content from Washington authors across genres and age groups: Gabrielle Kirouac Byrne, Christine Day, Sonora Jha, Kelly Jones, Brian Kimmel, Leslie Lutz, and Rena Priest.
Kelly Jones’ book “Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer” was removed from an entire school district as part of a “diverse books collection.”
“It was hard to hear that this book that I loved so much was so dangerous that no family could decide for themselves it was right for their student to read,” Jones said. “It just wasn’t available anymore… I don’t see how that helps students learn.”
Read more about Jones’ experience on the Office of the Secretary of State’s blog.
“We hope the videos spark community discussions about intellectual freedom across our state, and we invite Washingtonians of all ages to share their own stories of the power and joys they experience reading freely,” said Washington State Librarian Melody Sky Weaver. Stories have already been shared on highlighted quotes and StoryMap on the WA Reads Freely website.
As Washington State Book Award winner Rena Priest says in her video, “to me, the right to read freely means that I’m not limited by the fears of others about what I might learn about the world or about myself or how I might be shaped by the ideas of others.”
Banned Books Week highlights the value of free and open access to information. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in support of the freedom to seek and express ideas.