IN PERSON-Banned in America

This program will be delivered via Zoom and will be streamed to our Kingsley Room. If you want to watch the program from home, register here.

When you walk into a library, you’re entering a controversial place--for it’s a venue where you can read, listen to, and watch media that could be considered potentially “dangerous” depending on where (or when) you live. When Rameses II in 1279 BCE obliterated the hieroglyphic memorials to his father, he was doing what many rulers and societies have done throughout history: Attempt to control who is remembered, what is to be seen and heard, and how we are to behave.

Join is as we explore the history of the long saga of censorship and the need some cultures have to silence certain writers, artists, and musicians. We’ll look specifically at America, where there continues to be a heated debate regarding exactly how “free” creative minds really are when it comes to expressing feelings and ideas. Finally, using recent data collected by the American Library Association, we’ll look at on-going examples of censorship, examine the probable roots/causes of such censorship, and explore whether total freedom of expression is actually possible.

Led by Dr. Bill Thierfelder, a retired college professor who taught a variety of Arts and Humanities courses for 32 years at several New York universities and colleges, including St. John's University and Dowling College. He holds a Ph.D. in English, with minors in theater, art history and music history.

Like all Southbury Public Library programs, this event is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Registration is required. This program is sponsored by the Charles H. and Ella Emery Rutledge Fund. For more information about this program, please email Rebecca at rrandall@biblio.org or call the reference desk at 203-262-0626 ext 2.