EveryLibrary Announces Lineup of 24 Live Panels for Banned Books Week 2026

National library advocacy group EveryLibrary has unveiled its official programming schedule for Banned Books Week 2026, launching a four-day virtual panel series streaming live from October 5 to October 8.

The event, hosted on EveryLibrary Live via YouTube and Facebook Live, will feature 24 sessions with over 40 authors, creators, scholars, and civil rights advocates focused on literary censorship, free expression, and community access to diverse stories.

“The 2026 Banned Books Week series is something we are incredibly proud of because it brings together every part of the reading ecosystem. From authors and creators to publishers and policymakers, it is a wonderful celebration of books and the right to read,” said John Chrastka, Executive Director, EveryLibrary.

"At a moment when access to stories and ideas is being challenged across the country, these conversations remind us why books matter and why the relationships between writers, publishers, libraries, and readers are so important." Chrastka expressed. We are deeply grateful to every author, publisher, partner, and moderator who has helped make this extraordinary week possible.

The four-day broadcast schedule will feature discussions spanning multiple genres and topics:

• Monday, Oct. 5: Mark Vonnegut kicks off the series with a tribute to his father Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-censorship legacy, followed by five more panels, including YA novelist Patricia McCormick (Sold, I Am Malala) and author Adam Nelson, who explores his debut novel Huckleberry Jim and the legacy of Huckleberry Finn.

  
  

• Tuesday, Oct. 6: Graphic memoirists MariNaomi and Steven Prouse discuss creative freedom as members of Authors Against Book Bans. Then, legal scholars John A. Jenkins and Michael J. Gerhardt examine constitutional history, executive power, and public access to information.

  
  

• Wednesday, Oct. 7: Author Anthony Aycock details Island Trees v. Pico—the landmark Supreme Court decision on school book bans—while creators H.A. (The Chromatic Fantasy) and Keezy Young (Sunflowers) lead a discussion on queer identity and representation in comics.

  
  

• Thursday, Oct. 8: Highlights include discussions with authors Alex Sanchez, Varian Johnson, Darcie Little Badger, and representatives from Amnesty International, concluding with a preview of 2027 anti-censorship initiatives.

  
  

EveryLibrary is a national 501(c)(4) political action committee (PAC) for libraries in the United States. Unlike traditional educational foundations, EveryLibrary focuses directly on voter advocacy, political strategy, and fighting anti-library legislation or municipal funding cuts across local, state, and national levels.

The virtual series is supported by a coalition of major publishing houses and advocacy organizations, including Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Bloomsbury, the Kurt Vonnegut Estate, and Authors Against Book Bans.

All broadcasts will be free to access live, with recorded sessions made available on demand following each stream for educators, book clubs, and local libraries. See the website for additional information.