BookNet Fest
Fri, May 23
|Lake Buena Vista
BookNet Fest is a two-day event for readers, content creators, reviews, writers, and authors focused on building connections, having meaningful conversations, promoting literacy, and connecting the book community. It is a weekend of panels, workshops, networking, meet-ups, activities, book exchanges
Time & Location
May 23, 2025, 7:00 PM – May 24, 2025, 11:00 PM
Lake Buena Vista, 2000 Hotel Plaza Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, USA
About the event
I will be on the pane titled: Reading Under Threat
As authoritarianism and censorship rise around the world, reading communities are increasingly under attack. Book bans, censorship campaigns, and the politicization of libraries and education don't just silence individual stories—they threaten the very act of reading as a tool for empathy, critical thinking, and connection.
This panel explores how fascist and authoritarian ideologies seek to control access to books, ideas, and imagination itself. We'll discuss the impact on readers, writers, and educators; how marginalized voices are disproportionately targeted; and what it means to resist through storytelling, community organizing, and collective action. Together, we'll ask: What does it look like to defend reading as a radical act—and how do we keep our communities thriving in the face of these attacks?