Each day during Banned Books Week we will profile one of the seven recipients of FTRF's Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund 2013 Banned Books Week grants. Day 4 features Judith's Reading Room in Pennsylvania.

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi's award-winning graphic novel that was removed from Chicago Public School classes earlier this year - is the theme for "The Emotive Powers of Literature: Celebrating Banned Books Through Dance," an event presented by Judith's Reading Room at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, MA PA  The event, created in collaboration with Muhlenberg's Six Meters improvisational dance ensemble, will focus on Persepolis and 40 other books that have been banned and challenged.

There will be two performances on Thursday, at 12:30 and 7:00 p.m.  The performances are open to the public.

Read more about the event here.

This is the second Krug Fund grant for Judith's Reading Room, which garnered national press for its Banned Books Flash Mob in conjunction with Lafayette College last year.

Named in honor of Judith Krug, Judith's Reading Room promotes "Freedom through Literature" by providing fully stocked, custom-designed permanent libraries and mobile book carts to organizations that serve people who have limited or no mobility and communities that have limited or no access to books. Recipients of libraries include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, children’s homes, adult community centers, and international schools with limited resources.

Each day during Banned Books Week we will profile one of the seven recipients of FTRF's Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund 2013 Banned Books Week grants. Day 2 features the Gadsden Public Library in Alabama.

Hundreds of books were returned to the Gadsden Public Library's shelves to mark the beginning of Banned Books Week in Gadsden, Ala.  Both the removal and return of the books were featured prominently in the local paper, and kicked off a series of great events this week—most centered around Ray Bradbury's classic (and frequently challenged) Fahrenheit 451.

Tonight there will be a symbolic destruction of banned books in the library parking lot, in lieu of an actual burning of a symbolic representation of books (the library was unable to secure a burn permit!), followed by a reception.  On Friday there will be a Read-Out and banned books art exhibit at the local museum of art.

The Fahrenheit 451-related events include a lecture tomorrow by Gadsden State University professor Chris Harrison, and another on Wednesday by past Bradbury Center fellow Dr. Robert Woods.  Thursday there will be a Fahrenheit 451 discussion at a local brewpub, as well as a discussion with inmates at the Etowah County Jail.

A full list of events is here (and check out their beautiful flyer). All in all, an ambitious and exciting commemoration of Banned Books Week for the first Krug Fund recipient in Alabama!

Follow @gadsdenlibrary on Twitter and check out their Facebook page for updates and photos from their many events!

Seven organizations were awarded $1,000 grants from FTRF's Judith Krug Fund for 2013 Banned Books Week activities. Congratulations to the folks at Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, Gadsden Public Library, Yuma County Library District, Judith's Reading Room, and the School of Law and Social Justice, along with Livingston Parish Library and Lockport Public Library, both in Louisiana!

We're thrilled to be able to support these great projects! For more information, check out our press release.

If you would like to support the Judith Krug Fund, please consider making a donation!