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BPC Bulletin January 23, 2024

BPC Bulletin: Toronto Lecture Series on Banned Books and Their Authors

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.


In Toronto, Hot Docs at the Ted Rogers Cinema will host six afternoon lectures about banned books and their authors in March and April 2024.

The lecture series is named “Banned Books and the Brilliant Authors Who Write Them.” Ira Wells, a professor of literature at the University of Toronto, will deliver the lectures.

  1. March 5: From Socrates to Salman Rushdie: Censorship and the Limits of Creative Freedom
  2. March 12: Writers, Scientists, Philosophers: The Targets, and Opponents, of the Index of Prohibited Books
  3. March 19: Banning Masterpieces: Ulysses, Lolita, Howl
  4. April 2: Oscar Wilde and the Policing of Sexuality
  5. April 9: Letter from Gilead: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
  6. April 16: Art, Obscenity, Freedom: The Future of Censorship

Read more about the series and ticket prices here:

Curious Minds: Banned Books and the Brilliant Authors Who Write Them | Hot Docs 

Thanks go to Graham Mills, who forwarded the information about these lectures.


The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.