UMF Honors class invites public to Banned Books READ OUT, Oct. 7

FARMINGTON, ME  (September 28, 2026)—Students in University of Maine at Farmington award-winning director Jayne Decker’s Honors class are inviting campus and community members to join them on the UMF Mantor Library Green, Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 12:15-1 p.m., for the “2026 Banned Books READ OUT” stand against censorship. Free and open to the public.

The UMF “READ-OUT” event invites anyone interested in participating to bring their chosen book and simply read from it at specially designated areas on campus. Any book is welcome. The event will begin with brief remarks at 12:30 p.m. to be followed by a joint reading, which will be aloud, courteous, simultaneous and last for about 30 minutes.

Decker’s class will be joined by students from Dr Kathryn Will’s Children’s Literature class along with faculty, students and staff from across campus. Honors students have created a book display in Mantor Library for the week of October 2-9.

“To ban a book limits our potential to see new ideas, learn more about our world, and challenge the way things are. By reading banned books out loud and sharing the words with the public, we are celebrating knowledge, directly challenging the status quo, challenging the bans themselves, and helping spread awareness,” said Haley McFadyen, UMF Creative Writing major.

UMF’s READ-OUT is in recognition of Banned Books Week, Oct. 4-10, 2026. It has been created to empower readers everywhere to stand against the banning of books and in defense of freedom of expression.

Specially designated areas for reading include the campus green in front of Mantor Library and the sidewalks in front of the Olsen Student Center. (In case of inclement weather, please bring an umbrella.) Individuals are also encouraged to read off campus in locations of their own choice.

“As educators, we want our students to be curious, to search beyond the surface in engaged and meaningful dialogue, to question and consider. Curiosity is a foundation of learning, and this course explores what happens when the fundamental right to read becomes something we need to defend,” said Decker. “We have an incredible group of Honors students in this class, and we invite others to read with us. We believe the act of holding a book in our hands is precious and reading aloud is its own powerful song.”

During the 2024–2025 school year, PEN America recorded 6,870 instances of book bans affecting nearly 4,000 unique titles across public schools in the United States.

Over the years, books have been banned for many reasons, including disagreement with their language, sexual, religious, political, racial or historical content. The list is extensive and includes Charlotte’s Web, The Giving Tree, Beloved, Between the World and Me, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Lorax, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Grapes of Wrath, Harriet the Spy, James and the Giant Peach, Where the Wild Things Are, The Diary of Anne Frank and even the American Heritage Dictionary.

The final project for the class is “Banned Books – a Performative Work,” a staged reading performance that the students are creating on Thursday, Dec.3, at 7 p.m., in the Emery Community Arts Center Performance Space.

More Information on the UMF Honors Program

The University of Maine at Farmington Honors Program brings students and faculty together in a community committed to inquiry and discussion. It is designed for students in any major who are highly motivated and intellectually curious. Students in the program participate in small, seminar-style interdisciplinary courses and a variety of specially planned lectures, projects and field trips. Honors courses stress independent thinking, research and writing skills and oral expression. Skills developed through Honors study can apply to any field of study and provide especially good preparation for professional careers and further study.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Image: https://farmington.edu/app/uploads/2026/09/RP267-008.webp
Photo Credit: UMF Image