“Preserving Our Voices in the Fight for Intellectual Freedom,” Save the Books Teen Op-Ed Contest Winner Essay

Save the Books is a teen-led project run by Austin Public Library and funded by the Library Foundation with the goal of increasing student discussion of intellectual freedoms. This year was their first annual Op-Ed contest, where students between 14 and 18 could submit an entry about “What the Freedom to Read Means to Me.” The winner was Azeemah Sadiq from Houston, TX. Thank you to all the Save the Books members and partners who made this possible!

“Banning Books, Stunting Growth,” Save the Books Teen Op-Ed Contest First Runner-Up Essay

Save the Books is a teen-led project run by Austin Public Library and funded by the Library Foundation with the goal of increasing student discussion of intellectual freedoms. This year was their first annual Op-Ed contest, where students between 14 and 18 could submit an entry about “What the Freedom to Read Means to Me.” The first runner-up was Claire Henderson. Thank you to all the Save the Books members and partners who made this possible!

“What the Freedom to Read Means to Me,” Save the Books Teen Op-Ed Contest Second Runner-Up Essay

Save the Books is a teen-led project run by Austin Public Library and funded by the Library Foundation with the goal of increasing student discussion of intellectual freedoms. This year was their first annual Op-Ed contest, where students between 14 and 18 could submit an entry about “What the Freedom to Read Means to Me.” The second runner-up was Sadie Sarrat. Thank you to all the Save the Books members and partners who made this possible!

Our 2022 Year in Review at BookPeople

Throughout 2022, we kept hearing from customers the same heartwarming sentiment: “I’m so glad we’re able to gather together again!” As we’ve lengthened operating hours, expanded cafe seating, and turned our events programming back in-person, we’ve loved seeing local authors and readers show up to browse, read, eat, and shop. Let’s take a look back at what we’ve been up to this year: Banned Camp in the summer, events nearly every day, community partnerships, and, of course, the incredible books we read.