Read the latest news about FTRF and the First Amendment in Libraries and engage with thoughtful opinions from leaders in our community on The FTRF Blog. If you are interested in writing for the blog, please email Jonathan Kelley at jokelley@ala.org.
Congratulations to Judy Platt and Russ Feingold for being named to the Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor! Read about their awards here.
Judy is an FTRF Trustee and past president, who has been a major ally and supporter over her decades of work at the Association of American Publishers. Feingold was the only U.S. Senator to vote against the Patriot Act and worked throughout his final two terms to mitigate the law's overreach.
Unfortunately, Feingold will not be able to attend the Annual Conference, but you can congratulate Judy in person at the FTRF Member Reception next Thursday, and see her accept the award at the ALA Annual Conference Opening General Session the next afternoon!
Amanda Meeks of Chicago was named the recipient of the 2013 Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship. Check out our press release about her, and meet and congratulate her in person next month at the FTRF Member Reception at the Hilton Chicago. (You can also meet Sara Paretsky!) There's no charge to attend the reception.
Since graduating last year from Emporia State, Amanda has become involved in the volunteer-run Read/Write Library (formerly the Chicago Underground Library), which collects Chicago-area books, magazines, zines, journals, newspapers, broadsides, and art books. She'll be talking about that and other projects at her "ignite" session on Monday, July 1, 11:30 a.m.–noon at McCormick Place.
Famed novelist and popular Chicagoan Sara Paretsky will be a special guest of honor at the 2013 FTRF Annual Member Reception on Thursday, June 27. The reception will be held from 5:00-6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Chicago, Joliet Room, following the FTRF Board of Trustees meeting.
Paretsky is a longtime supporter of the Freedom to Read Foundation and intellectual freedom, and has been a featured speaker on the issue at a number of events - including last year's Dominican University McCusker Memorial Lecture, co-sponsored by FTRF, and ALA's 2008 Banned Books Week Read-Out. She's best known as author of the V.I. Warshawski series of detective novels.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the recipient of the 2013 Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship (the winner will be announced in this space next week), and learn about the latest on the Foundation's cases and other activities. If you're not a member, you can join now or at the door.
We hope those of you attending #ALA2013 or otherwise in the Chicagoland area will join us for this very special event!
Meanwhile, check out Sara's video from last year's Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out!
A hearty congratulations to newcomer Eva Poole and the other five winners of the FTRF Board of Trustee elections - Helen Adams, Bob Doyle, Chris Finan, Herb Krug, and Jim Neal. And a big thank-you to the other great nominees who participated in the election: this year's ballot was truly stacked with stalwart FTRF members.
The elected members' terms will begin on the afternoon of Thursday, June 27, following the final meeting of the 2012–2013 Board of Trustees in Chicago. Immediately following that will be the annual FTRF Member Reception at the Hilton Chicago - all FTRF members in the area are invited! Their terms will expire Thursday, June 25 at the end of the Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
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1991 recipient - author
1995 recipient (deceased) - FTRF Executive Director from 1969 founding to 2009
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Famed novelist and popular Chicagoan 
A hearty congratulations to newcomer Eva Poole and the other five